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Western State Hospital patient escapes in stolen delivery truck

Western State Hospital

LAKEWOOD, Wash. — The state’s largest psychiatric hospital is reviewing its security protocols after a patient stole a delivery truck and escaped.

The Western State Hospital patient was able to take the truck Sunday while two employees were unloading it, a spokesman from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services said.

The patient sped through a large gate but did not get far.

The man went to Steilacoom High School nearby. Hospital staff found the patient inside a library before officers arrived. The man was returned to the hospital.

A Western State staff member was hurt after falling off the delivery truck and was taken to the hospital.