Man accused of stripping down, physically harming patients and staff at NCH's ER

NAPLES, Fla. — The man was accused of stripping down, pushing staff workers, and flooding the emergency room at North Collier Hospital (NCH) and was supposed to make his first court appearance Monday. However, he didn't show up because of medical reasons.

53-year-old Louis Sepesi is the man facing felony charges for battery on a Leo Fire Fighter EMT.

What happened at NCH is part of a growing concern for organizations such as Emergency Physicianswhen it comes to violence in emergency rooms.

Fox 4 obtained the 911 call from Collier County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) that revealed how security can be a concern in an emergency room.

During the call, you can hear a man yelling and a staff member telling the 911 operator there is a violent patient.

CCSO believed the male voice to be Sepesi.

The incident happened at NCH located on Collier Boulevard in Naples around 10:00 am Saturday.

Investigators said he walked into the emergency department and started attacking a patient and an on-duty nurse.

"He’s pushing people in wheelchairs and screaming," said the 911 caller.

“Is it safe to move the patient away from people," asked the 911 operator.

"We are doing that," the 911 caller responded.

According to the police report, when the emergency room staff tried to move Sepesi, he started yelling, taking off his clothes, and then pulled a high-pressure water pipe from the wall—flooding the room and causing thousands of dollars worth of damages.

“We’re a free-standing ER here so we don’t have the backup that we need for our safety and the other patients.”

According to a survey published by emergencyphysicians.org,violence in emergency rooms is becoming a growing problem for healthcare workers and patients.

Nearly half (47%) of emergency physicians have been assaulted while at work and 51 percent of patients have also been harmed.

Resulting in Congress introducing the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act.

Last month Fox 4's Briana Brownlee spoke with Lee Health's System Director of Public Safety, Gloria Graham -- and they too expressed concerns about the violence in Emergency rooms.

“What we have seen across the country sadly enough is hospitals aren’t immune to violent behavior," Graham said in a previous interview.

According to CCSO, one security guard was on the scene at the time of the incident. NCH told FOX 4 they are working on their response.

Sepesi is expected to be back in court on August 28th.