A locked medication room at a Chandler behavioral health facility was breached by juvenile patients who then swallowed stolen controlled substances, capping a night that saw two separate violent outbursts, assaults on three staff members and two police officers, and five arrests. Chandler police first responded to Oasis Behavioral Health around 7:35 p.m. last Sunday, and were still working that scene when a second, more dangerous disturbance erupted roughly three hours later.
According to the Sacramento Bee, which republished reporting from the Arizona Republic, the first incident began when disorderly juvenile patients assaulted a nurse. One minor was taken into custody and booked on one count of aggravated assault. Under Arizona Revised Statutes § 13-1204, specified assaults may qualify as aggravated assault when statutory conditions are met, including when the assailant knows or has reason to know the victim’s qualifying status; the statute also includes an exception for certain assaults on health workers.
Officers were still on scene handling that fallout when a second incident broke out around 10:30 p.m., per the same account. Several minor patients forced their way into a locked medication room, damaged a dispensing machine, and gained access to controlled substances. Multiple patients then ingested the medication, prompting Chandler Fire Department personnel to evaluate and transport several of them to a local hospital, according to FOX 10 Phoenix.
Staff and Officers Caught in the Chaos
A nurse and another staff member were assaulted during the second incident, and two Chandler police officers were hurt while trying to bring the disturbance under control, the report states. In total, the back-to-back incidents left five people assaulted — three facility staff members and two officers — and resulted in five juvenile arrests, according to 12News.
Chandler police notified the Arizona Department of Child Safety following the disturbances, which involved juvenile patients breaching the medication room and ingesting stolen drugs, FOX 10 Phoenix reports.
Police Calls at the Facility
Oasis Behavioral Health is a behavioral health facility in Chandler.
Chandler police records show 278 general offense reports at the facility during the 2026 calendar year through early October, FOX 10 Phoenix reported.
Promised Fixes Came Before the Latest Breach
Following the July unrest, Chandler Police publicly reported plans to work with Oasis Behavioral Health leadership on proactive patrols and staffing adjustments meant to prevent future disturbances, per 12News. Despite those measures, violent disturbances reoccurred three months later, raising questions about whether the promised staffing and patrol changes were maintained.
During the incident, patients breached a locked medication room and damaged a dispensing machine.
The facility's parent company has faced federal scrutiny before. In September 2024, Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. entered into a $19.85 million federal settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice resolving civil False Claims Act allegations that included improper billing and care lacking medical necessity at Oasis Behavioral Health in Chandler. That settlement addressed multiple Acadia facilities across several states regarding psychiatric billing practices. It remains unclear whether the October disturbances will trigger any new licensing sanctions or civil penalties against the company.
