Inmate holding staff hostage at hospital in Geneva

(CBSChicago) — A Kane County Jail inmate, who was at Delnor Hospital for treatment, took a correctional officer’s gun and held the emergency room staff hostage Saturday afternoon.

The incident started around 12:30 p.m., according to a statement from the city of Geneva. Witnesses describe the scene inside as “chaotic,” and said the offender was running around the hospital naked. At one point, the inmate was seen taking a female employee hostage inside a room in the hospital’s emergency room area.

Hospital staff told CBS 2’s Audrina Bigos that no patients were in danger as of early Saturday evening.

“As I was registering, within the first two minutes, I overheard a nurse call a ‘Cold Silver’ — means there’s an active shooter on the premise,” said Virgene Galloway, a patient at the hospital during the time the incident occurred. “We were all escorted into the bathroom for about 15-20 minutes, and during that time, we were then asked to go into the bathroom stalls and lock the doors."

This is an active and ongoing situation. Geneva Police are still on scene at Delnor Hospital, 300 S. Randall Rd., and have asked the public to stay away from the area.

A hospital spokesperson said that personnel and medics are ready with ambulances to transport those coming to the hospital requiring immediate emergency attention.