Update: Lockdown ends at St. Luke’s Boise; Ammon Bundy sent protesters there
St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center was placed on a brief lockdown Tuesday afternoon because of a “developing security incident,” according to a statement from the hospital shared on social media.
St. Luke’s posted the lockdown news on Twitter at 2:02 p.m. and noted the lockdown had ended at 2:50 p.m.
The health system’s alert indicated that its Boise hospital — located at 190 E. Bannock St. — was under lockdown and divert status. Divert status for hospitals often means hospitals will not be accepting ambulances at their location due to some sort of emergency, according to the Health Action Council. Patients needing care were asked to go to other providers.
When the lockdown ended, that was no longer necessary.
“The Boise hospital has resumed normal operations, and services are available for people in need of care,” St. Luke’s tweeted.
Hospital officials have not provided details as to the reason for the lockdown. Since Saturday, protesters have gathered at the hospital to oppose authorities taking custody of a 10-month old child, who is the grandchild of a campaign consultant of gubernatorial candidate and right-wing activist Ammon Bundy.
Bundy on Tuesday posted a video on YouTube inside the Ada County Courthouse, where he was on trial for another matter, encouraging protesters to go to the hospital in response to unverified claims about authorities removing the child from the hospital.
A Tuesday afternoon hearing regarding the ongoing custody dispute of the child ended without a decision, Miranda Chavoya, the child’s aunt, told the Idaho Statesman. The hearing is scheduled to continue Wednesday, she said.
Meridian police alleged in a Saturday news release that the child was in danger of immediate harm. The baby was previously hospitalized because of “severe malnourishment,” police said.
About 100 protesters could be seen outside the hospital Tuesday, with signs that read “medical rape” and “stop stealing babies.”
Demonstrators told the Statesman they heard the child was going to be transferred from the hospital to foster care, and they hoped to prevent that.
“He should be released back to the mother,” Mac Raslan, of Emmett, said.
Another demonstrator, Wendy Blanton of Nampa, said she doesn’t believe the normal process for removing a child from their parents was followed in this case. She said the child’s mother is “a loving mother.”
“I want to know the crime, and I have not heard one person tell me what the crime is,” Blanton said.
Around 35 protesters were also seen outside the Ada County Courthouse at around 1 p.m.
While brief, the lockdown left some patients in a precarious position. Rialin Flores, executive director of the Idaho Conservation voters of Idaho, tweeted that a pediatrician recommended sending her child — who had low oxygen levels — to an emergency room, but that St. Luke’s was locked down.
Police arrested Bundy at St. Luke’s Meridian Medical Center on Saturday on suspicion of trespassing when he refused to leave the property while demanding the baby’s release. The baby was taken into custody late Friday night.
This story was originally published March 15, 2022 at 2:39 PM.
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