A 64-year-old man has been taken into custody after making a terroristic threat to Baptist Medical Center. The man, identified as Armando Martinez, called the downtown hospital around 9 a.m. Friday, and made threats to "shoot up" the establishment, as reported by KSAT.
The San Antonio Police Department (SAPD) held a press conference to discuss the incident, during which they confirmed that Martinez was arrested without incident at around 2 p.m., despite the seriousness of the threat. No weapons were found on Martinez or in his vehicle at the time of his arrest. The situation led to a brief lockdown of the medical facility, but it has since been resolved, and the hospital has reopened with enhanced security measures, according to police statements to KENS 5. Martinez's motivation for making the threat appears to have stemmed from his dissatisfaction with the care he received as a patient at the hospital the previous Thursday.
During the call, Martinez made a reference to the tragic Uvalde school shooting of 2022, threatening to "go Uvalde" at the medical center—a disturbing allusion to the violence that occurred at Robb Elementary School. While the SAPD did not provide details about the Uvalde reference during their briefing, they assured the public that there was no active threat to any hospital in the San Antonio area or within the Baptist Health System.
Martinez is now facing charges of making terroristic threats intended to incite public fear. While the SAPD has stated that their investigation is ongoing, the prompt response by law enforcement appears to have prevented any potential danger. The medical center has since resumed normal operations, with a heightened security presence in place, according to police. Although the threat did not come to fruition, the possibility of violence has unsettled the community, and authorities are continuing to investigate the circumstances surrounding Martinez's threat.
