Chattanooga man charged in hospital hoax

A 19-year-old Chattanooga man faces a charge of making false reports and disorderly conduct after he told Chattanooga police and hospital staff that a gunman entered Erlanger hospital Tuesday night.

Adam Daniel McHaffey kept changing his story when describing the gunman to police, according to an arrest report.

He asked officers if he was going to be in trouble and eventually admitted that he made the entire story up, the report states.

After the call came in, at least a dozen city officers and two county deputies raced to the hospital. The hospital was locked down for about an hour as officers and 11 Walden Security guards conducted room-to-room searches. The lockdown ended at about 9:30 p.m. when McHaffey was led out of the emergency room entrance in handcuffs.

"Family members, visitors and staff were unable to leave or move freely about the hospital. The staff reported some patients were unable to be transferred inside the hospital for treatment or testing during this time," the report stated.

McHaffey remained in Hamilton County Jail as of Wednesday afternoon. His bond was set at $4,000. His next court date is Feb. 20 before General Sessions Judge David Bales.

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