Lockdown Lifted At OC Hospital After Unconfirmed Reports Of Armed Man

SANTA ANA (CBSLA) – An Orange County hospital was placed on lockdown for several hours Tuesday morning due to unconfirmed reports of an armed man.

Santa Ana police confirmed that officers responded to the Orange County Global Medical Center, located at 1001 N Tustin Ave., at 8:15 a.m. due to a 911 call from internal hospital phone regarding a possibly armed man.

"The caller indicated they had a gun, that's all the information that was relayed," Santa Ana Police Chief David Valentin told reporters.

Police searched all eight floors of the hospital, which had about 250 patients and 600 staff in the building. The emergency room and patient tower were cleared as of 11 a.m.

The lockdown was officially lifted around noon. An investigation was underway to determine how exactly the threat was made.

All mandatory surgeries were completed, but non-mandatory ones were delayed. No ambulances were allowed to come into the trauma center during the lockdown. They were diverted to other hospitals.

"The operating rooms are already locked down, it's only permitted access, so you can't just wander in there," Surgeon Humberto Sauri told CBS2.

Tustin Street was closed between 17th and 1st streets. The public was advised to avoid the area.