Man fires flare gun in emergency room

A man who fired a flare gun inside the emergency room at Prince George’s Hospital Center Sunday night was arrested Monday morning at a local gas station, police said.

The man and his wife apparently came to the hospital just after 7 p.m. Sunday, and for some reason, began arguing with staff members, police said. At some point, the man pulled out a flare gun and shot it "up in the air toward the ceiling," said Officer Henry Tippett, a Prince George's police spokesman.

No one was hurt, Tippett said.

The man took off, Tippett said, and his wife told officers he had a history of mental instability.

His getaway didn’t last long. A lookout was posted for the man’s car, Tippett said, and just before 7:45 a.m. Monday, officers spotted it and the man at an Exxon gas station near Marlboro Pike and Silver Hill Road in District Heights. The man was taken into custody, Tippett said.

Tippett declined to identify the man immediately, saying he was not sure if he had been formally charged yet.

-- Matt Zapotosky