Ex-Emanuel Medical Center employee threatens to ‘kill everyone’ at Turlock hospital

Police have arrested a former employee at Emanuel Medical Center who reportedly called the hospital and threatened to kill everyone there.

Kareem Mavis, 40, of Turlock, was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats, said Sgt. Russ Holeman, a Turlock police spokesman. Mavis on Wednesday morning remained in custody at the Stanislaus County Jail with his bail amount set at $50,000.

The incident was reported to police about 3:20 p.m. Tuesday. Holeman said Mavis had been notified earlier in the day that he no longer worked at Emanuel Medical Center.

Hospital officials told police that Mavis called the hospital twice after he lost his job. He reportedly threatened to go to the hospital “with an Uzi machine gun and kill everyone,” Holeman said.

Emanuel Medical Center security staff placed the hospital on lockdown as police officers surrounded the medical facility at Delbon and North Olive avenues to make sure no harm was done. Holeman said Turlock police in the meantime continued its investigation of the threatening calls and identified Mavis as a suspect.

The officers found him staying in a Turlock motel room and took him into custody. Holeman said investigators did not find a gun in the motel room.

Shannon Egleston, an Emanuel Medical Center spokeswoman, said Wednesday hospital administration had not provided her with information about what job Mavis had at the hospital and why his employment there ended.

This story was originally published July 26, 2017 at 12:22 PM with the headline "Ex-Emanuel Medical Center employee threatens to ‘kill everyone’ at Turlock hospital."