Police: Home health aide holds patient, family at knifepoint

A home health aide is accused of holding a patient and his family at knifepoint in Oceanside.

News 12 Staff

Jul 22, 2019, 12:19 PM

Updated 1,733 days ago

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A home health aide is accused of holding a patient and his family at knifepoint in Oceanside.
They say Cathy Thompson, of Queens, came into the house on Byrd Street Sunday where she takes care of 64-year-old David Gundersen. Gundersen has ALS, is in a wheelchair and relies on a ventilator to breathe.
Officials say Thompson was carrying a 10-inch long knife, and told Gundersen, his wife and his wife's parents that they could not leave.
Gundersen's wife was able to get to a neighbor's house to call 911. Court papers show Thompson told the family, "If everybody sits down, nobody gets hurt." Police eventually came and arrested Thompson.
Thompson is charged with unlawful imprisonment, endangering the welfare of a physically disabled person, menacing and criminal possession of a weapon.
News 12 is told Thompson has no prior arrests. Police and the DA were not able to say which agency she works for.
News 12 tried speaking with the victims, but they declined to comment.


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