Hospital Shooter Nabbed

An Elmhurst Hospital employee was found alive and safe in North Carolina on Monday after being kidnapped at gunpoint by her estranged husband.
On Friday morning Miguel Carrasquillo stormed into the emergency room of Elmhurst Hospital, where he shot Marcos Motta, 55, an admitting clerk, in the face.
Carrasquillo then dragged his wife, Nancy, also a clerk, out of the hospital.
According to police, Nancy, 42, said she had asked for an order of protection against her husband earlier in the week because he had been beating her. The night before the kidnapping Carrasquillo had called her house several times saying he was outside watching her. Security guards were informed of the threat he might pose to his wife, but the next day, just after receiving the order of protection, he successfully eluded them by entering the hospital through a side door.
Carrasquillo escaped into a nearby subway station with his frightened wife, and the two boarded a Greyhound bus to North Carolina. Police finally apprehended them in Lafayette after receiving a tip from a family member.
Miguel Carrasquillo is now in custody and faced an extradition hearing on Tuesday morning.
The incident has led the security guards union to demand that weapons be issued to some hospital guards. Proponents for armed guards asserted this was the only way to ensure the safety of hospital staff and patients.
However, the administration at Elmhurst Hospital rejected the proposal for armed security guards, saying it would contravene hospital policy.
"For obvious reasons, we want to maintain a peaceful environment," said Lisa King, a hospital spokesperson. "We feel guns will not solve any problems. We dont think it would make matters any better."
E-mail this reporter at sarah@queenscourier.com .