Employees Attacked Entering the Workplace

Safety at Work

Jackson, MS (WorkersCompensation.com) – Officials with St. Dominic Health in Jackson, Miss, were closed lipped about an attack on one of its employees.

The incident was one of two attacks on employees who were coming or going to their workplace in May.

Police in Jackson said the employee was in the parking structure on the hospital’s grounds when they were attacked on May 27, and that it appeared to be an isolated and targeted act. The suspect was arrested, officials said.

“A member of our security team was on-site and responded immediately to the attack, preventing further harm,” Jeremy Tinnerello, St. Dominic Health Jackson president said in a statement. “We are working closely with our law enforcement partners and offer our deep appreciation to our security team and first responders who quickly helped to address and contain the situation. We ask that our community continue to uplift the St. Dominic Health family in their prayers during this time.”

In Greenwood, Ind., a woman arriving for work at an apartment complex was attacked by one of the residents there, just hours after he aggressively harassed another of the apartment complex’s employees for sex.

Officials said Kushal Patel, 36, was arrested and charged with criminal confinement, battery and intimidation after the May 21 attack.

Police records said Greenwood Police were called to an unnamed apartment complex around 9 a.m. for a report of a battery. The arrived to find a man driving out of the parking lot who matched the description of the suspect.

Officers blocked the car and pulled the suspect from the car. Patel was reportedly “bleeding from his crotch and leg area.” Patel was taken into custody and treated once he was detained.

After Patel was arrested, officers went to the store area of the apartment complex to investigate and found evidence of “a struggle” and a “large amount of blood” covering the floor from the back door to the front door. Police later found the victim, locked in the backroom and crying.

The victim told officers that she had been opening the store when she noticed the suspect watching her from the parking lot. She said she waved hello to the man and unlocked the door to the store to let him in.

The man then ran after her, grabbed her arm and tackled her to the floor of the store. The victim told officers she and the man began fighting, and that she kicked him to get away. Once she was able to get free, she told officers she ran to the back room to call 911.

The victim suffered injuries to her arm, hand and wrist. She said she was not aware of why the man attacked her and was still trying to process what had happened to her. Surveillance video of the incident showed Patel walking in behind the employee, grabbing her, tackling her and not letting her up. Additionally, the video footage shows the employee escaping and running to the back room. The footage shows Patel standing by the locked door to the back room for a few minutes before leaving the building.

Another complex employee told officers they had encountered Patel earlier that day. According to them, Patel had walked into the office and “looked around to make sure no one else” was inside, then walked up to the employee’s desk and asked if she “wanted to f**ck.”

When the employee said, “Excuse me?” Patel allegedly walked around the desk, got closer to the employee and asked the same question again.

The second employee said she felt very intimidated and that she knew what he wanted to do and yelled for a co-worker. When she did, Patel quickly left the office.

Witnesses said Patel had been a resident of the apartment complex since 2014 and had no major criminal history.

Patel was taken to a hospital and treated for his injuries; however, police did not explain what the injuries to his groin and leg were from except that they were “due to injuries from the victim.” He was later booked into the Johnson County Jail and was released after posting a $100,000 bond.

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