Female security guard stabbed at Maryland hospital: Deputies taser armed suspect after chaotic encounter

(Image credit: Meritus Health)

A violent stabbing inside Meritus Medical Center in Hagerstown, Maryland, sparked a major law enforcement response Thursday night after authorities say a hospital security guard was attacked by a knife-wielding suspect inside the facility’s cafeteria.

According to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to Meritus Medical Center on Medical Campus Road around 8:14 p.m. on May 14, following reports of a stabbing. When officers arrived, they discovered a female security guard suffering from stab wounds while hospital staff and patients sheltered amid the unfolding emergency.

Investigators said the suspect, later identified as 39-year-old Timothy Franklin Wallech of Hagerstown, fled toward the hospital’s 1800 wing while still armed with what authorities described as a large kitchen knife.

Deputies and assisting officers from the Hagerstown Police Department and Maryland State Police confronted Wallech in a hallway and repeatedly ordered him to drop the weapon, officials said. Instead, authorities claim Wallech fell to his knees and began stabbing himself in the neck.

A Washington County deputy then deployed a Taser, allowing officers to safely take the suspect into custody before anyone else was injured. The injured security guard was transported for medical treatment. Officials have not publicly released details about her condition.

Wallech was also treated for injuries before being transferred to the Washington County Detention Center, where he is being held without bond.

He faces multiple charges, including:

• Attempted Second-Degree Murder
• First-Degree Assault
• Second-Degree Assault
• Reckless Endangerment

Authorities emphasized there is no ongoing threat to the public, though an increased police presence remained at the hospital during the investigation.

The case remains under active investigation. As with all criminal cases, Wallech is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

(Timothy Franklin Wallech, 29)

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(Source and mugshot photo: Washington County Sheriff’s Office)

Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today
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