Houston Methodist employee found stabbed in Texas Medical Center garage, search continues for suspect

Methodist employee stabbed inside parking garage

An employee was attacked and stabbed inside a parking garage in Houston on Monday morning. FOX 26's Leslie DelasBour has the latest. 

HOUSTON - Law enforcement are searching for a suspect believed to have stabbed a woman in the Texas Medical Center garage.

Stabbing in Texas Medical Center

What we know:

On Monday morning, an alert went out to staff stating a Houston Methodist employee was found stabbed in her vehicle inside Texas Medical Center Garage 1 on level 5 on Fannin Street by police. University of Texas Police Houston say the stabbing happened at 6:47 a.m.

The victim was taken to the hospital with several stab wounds and has since been released.

Houston Methodist tells FOX 26 they are maintaining heightened security awareness across their campus out of an abundance of caution. Out of an abundance of caution, they temporarily locked down part of their campus to ensure the safety of our staff, patients, and visitors. There is no indication of an active or imminent threat to the campus.

The Houston Police Department is investigating.

Authorities posted a surveillance video image of a possible suspect. He is described as a Black male and appeared to be wearing a red or orange hoodie with black pants and black tennis shoes.

What we don't know:

There has been no official statement on the employee's wellbeing. Officials have not identified the employee.

What they're saying:

FOX 26 spoke with the victim's mother saying, "My daughter works there. She does not want to make a statement at this time. She is home resting right now as we have all had a very long day. She will make a statement in the next few days. She remembers everything that happened. She does not know who the man was, she has never seen him before. She is in good spirits considering what happened to her today. She was released from the hospital late this afternoon and is home now. He stabbed her a significant amount of times including her face, hands, foot and arm. She fought him and that is how I believe she is still alive. She was given stitches in several of her wounds."

According to a statement from Chief Innovation Officer Roberta Schwartz:

"We want to provide an update on our employee who was attacked in TMC Garage 1 this morning. We are relieved to share that she is being released from the hospital today. She has asked us to let everyone know that she is doing well, remains in good spirits, and appreciates the continued thoughts and prayers she has received. 

This incident was witnessed by several employees, some of whom rendered emergency care assistance before the arrival of the Houston Fire Department and Texas Medical Center police. We want to thank all of you who quickly assessed the situation and helped the employee. 

At this time, this does not appear to be a planned attack on our employee or Houston Methodist Hospital. HPD is actively involved and searching for the attacker. If you have any additional information about the suspect or this incident, please report it to the Houston Police Department or Houston Methodist Hospital Public Safety. While we conducted a lockdown in some of our buildings earlier today, we expect to return to normal security operations tomorrow. 

This event serves as an important reminder to always remain aware of your surroundings." 

What you can do:

If you have any questions or information about the incident, you are asked to contact TMC Police at 713–795–0000 or the Houston Police Department at 713-884-3131.