Shamon Pearce (Fulton County Sheriff's Office)
ATLANTA - According to new disturbing police allegations at Grady Memorial Hospital, a 24-year-old man was arrested after allegedly attempting to sexually assault a stroke patient. According to an Atlanta Police Department report, the suspect smoked crack inside the hospital premises, entered the patient's room uninvited, and tried to assault her while she was asleep.
The incident unfolded when a hospital employee encountered Shamon Pearce in an elevator and noticed him using what appeared to be a crack pipe, initially mistaken for a cigarette.
After the employee and Pearce exited the elevator and awaited security assistance near the nurse's station, he somehow eluded their supervision.
Suddenly, they said they heard a noise from a room, leading to the discovery of a naked Pearce and the patient on the floor.
Despite attempts to lock him inside the room, he forcefully escaped and ran down the hall unclothed. They lost him when he hit the stairwell.
Surveillance footage revealed Pearce's escape to the basement where he hid in a trash can for over an hour. Inside the trash can, he found a hospital gown that he used to cover up before leaving the premises.
A Grady ambulance sits outside a Metro-Atlanta hospital. (Eli Jordan, FOX 5 Atlanta )
Pearce was later arrested under a nearby bridge. At first, he told police that he was sick and claimed to have just been discharged from the hospital that afternoon. He told the police that he wanted to be taken to Gateway, a homeless shelter. Upon being denied transport to the shelter, Pearce's demeanor shifted, and he refused further communication with the authorities. Nevertheless, he eventually admitted to being under the influence of drugs and assaulting the patient, claiming to have been "trying something new."
The patient was later identified as a stroke patient who was sleeping at the time Pearce burst into her room. She said when she opened her eyes, he was standing over her, in the nude, trying to cover her head with a bed cover. When she asked him what he was doing, she said he became aggressive, climbed on top of her and told her to be quiet.
During the struggle that ensued, the patient told police the two of them fell off the hospital bed, causing her to hit her head. She also told police that she didn't know Pearce personally, but had seen him a few times around the hospital.
Authorities have since collected a rape kit and Pearce now faces charges including intent to rape, sexual battery, and battery. He is being held at the Fulton County Jail.
Grady Memorial Hospital responds
Since the incident, a spokesperson for Grady Memorial Hospital says they have made the following changes to their security:
- We have increased security staff throughout the hospital, as well as rounding outside and in parking decks.
- All inpatient units will be locked and badge access only. Visitors will be required to contact the nurse’s station to enter any unit.
- A robust visitor management system will be installed. This system will ensure we can account for every person inside the hospital.
- We will implement an alert system that equips staff with wearable mobile panic buttons for emergencies.