A vehicle slammed into the glass window at the Lompoc Valley Medical Center Emergency Department entrance on Thursday morning and caused damage, but the incident did not interfere with operations, hospital spokeswoman Nora Wallace said.
The incident occurred after 6 a.m. when a driver crashed his vehicle into the glass window at the main entrance.
Hospital staff immediately implemented their emergency protocols, Wallace said.
Officers were dispatched to the scene and restrained the driver, who ran into the building and hid in an office, police said.
The driver, Elijio Juarez, 33, was arrested on suspicion of violating parole and driving under the influence of drugs, police Sgt. Kevin Martin said.
Juarez was booked into the Lompoc City Jail.
The window was repaired and the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, or OSHPD, was notified of the damage and repair, Wallace added.
Wallace said the incident did not cause any structural damages to the building.
Patient care for the Emergency Department was not impacted by the crash, she added.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.