Mentally ill illegal wreaks havoc

Patient in hospital rampage illegal alien'He needs to be in an institution,' lawyer saysBy Christy StrawserDaily Tribune Staff WriterROYAL OAK -- An illegal alien was arraigned Thursday on seven felony charges for allegedly destroying part of the ninth floor psychiatric unit at William Beaumont Hospital.
He injured five people in a rage that came from nowhere.
"He checked himself in (to Beaumont) and later that day, for unknown reasons, he became upset," Detective Keith Spencer said.
Spencer told Judge Terrence Brennan that Alejandro Guzman-Amezola, 32, shattered windows, destroyed walls, broke two televisions, then grabbed balls off a pool table and whizzed them at staff and an elderly patient during a rampage at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
Guzman-Amezola allegedly hit one nurse in the leg with a 5-6 ounce billiard ball, aimed at another nurse and threw two balls fast, one that hit her in the head and another in the face. A third nurse looked in through a glass partition window and the suspect allegedly threw a ball at her face, shattering the glass and spraying her with shards.
A fourth Beaumont staffer was hit while trying to escort a 66-year-old patient to safety, police said. Guzman-Amezola allegedly aimed at the patient and hit her hard enough in the head with a billiard ball that she's still in treatment at Beaumont and awaited surgery Thursday morning.
Guzman-Amezola was arraigned on seven felonies in 44th District Court, including five charges of assault with intent to do great bodily harm, one count of felony assault, and one count of malicious destruction of property under $20,000.
Guzman-Amezola, of Detroit, was silent during court proceedings and his attorney Ronald Chapman of Bloomfield Hills said he does not speak or understand English. His brother-in-law acted as translator.
Spencer said Guzman-Amezola has an F.B.I. record because he was caught twice in 1998 trying to illegally enter the United States. The F.B.I. is looking into how he's here now, living with his wife and two children in a house he owns, with his mother nearby.
"He is not in a position to make any decisions," Chapman said. "He is not in a good state of mind at all."
Chapman told the judge his client will plead not guilty by reason of insanity and he asked the judge to send Guzman-Amezola to a psychiatric care center immediately. Brennan ordered a $250,000 cash bond and set a March 9 preliminary examination date.
"He needs to be in an institution," Chapman said. "He needs help."