Overview
- Police say Eduardo Cruceta, 27, began acting erratically during a family visit and, on Sunday morning, pushed a large chair into a pregnant staff member.
- Officers arrived to find him engaged with hospital security and arrested him without incident, and he is due Monday in Lowell District Court on two assault and battery charges.
- According to police, Cruceta also threatened to kill hospital employees before security tried several times to remove him from the room.
- The episode followed a separate case days earlier in which police say a 59-year-old patient struck a staff member, shortly after the hospital barred security from carrying pepper gel, batons and handcuffs.
- Hospital CEO Amy Dumont defends the policy as part of a de-escalation approach, nurses warn it leaves staff at risk, and the state-run facility’s track record includes a stabbing and many unauthorized departures in 2023–2024.