A Long Island man is accused of attacking two hospital staff members who were trying to restrain him so he could be given medication, leaving a 62-year-old security guard on life support, officials said Wednesday.
Eduard Lopez, 28, of Freeport, has been indicted on multiple counts of assault following the October incident at Mercy Hospital in Rockville Centre, Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said in a press release.
On Wednesday, Lopez pleaded not guilty to a grand jury indictment charging him with three counts of felony assault and two counts of misdemeanor assault, online court records show. He’s being held on $500,000 bond.
According to investigators, Lopez reportedly became agitated while being treated at the hospital in the early hours of Oct. 16. Medical personnel then tried to administer a sedative, at which point he allegedly attacked the staff, seriously wounding two security officers.
One man suffered “substantial pain after being struck in the face and body,” officials said, while the other — a 62-year-old retired New York City correction officer — was brutally beaten in the head and body. He went into cardiac arrest while walking toward the nursing station.
“Irate and unwilling to accept help from medical professionals, this defendant allegedly violently charged, punched and kicked at security staff trying to restrain him so that medication could be administered,” the district attorney said. “Both security guards suffered injuries in the altercation, but a 62-year-old guard hit during the attack went into cardiac arrest after stepping out of the room and collapsed.”
The victim, identified as Gardy Coriolan, was taken to the hospital’s intensive care unit, where he was treated with life-saving medical intervention, officials said. However, he remained unresponsive and on life support Wednesday — nearly two months after the incident.
In an interview with ABC7 NY, his wife, Sonya Coriolan, said the beloved father and grandfather dedicated “his entire life to law enforcement and saving people and serving the community.”
Lopez is due back in court on Jan. 9. He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted.
