Parkland Hospital nurse robbed at gunpoint in employee parking lot

DALLAS - A nurse at Parkland Hospital in Dallas was robbed at gunpoint after arriving for work Sunday evening.

The armed robbery happened at about 6 p.m., in the employee parking lot at Parkland.

The victim parked her car and got out to walk into work when she was approached by three men.

The robbery happened at the Trinity Lot. FOX 4 hasn’t been able to get any direct answers about the investigation. 

Parkland Hospital police won’t release the police report because they say it’s still under investigation.

Dallas police say it responded to a crashed vehicle that was confirmed stolen, but they can’t confirm if patrol officers arrested anyone or even knew the three men in the car might have been the carjackers.

“It happened so quickly,” Mary, the robbery victim said. “I was so in shock.”

Mary, as she wants to be called, does not want her face shown. However, she does want her story told.

On Sunday evening, the Parkland Hospital nurse says she pulled into the employee parking lot. As she got out of her car, three men robbed her at gunpoint, stole her purse, wallet, keys and 2014 Honda Accord.

“They got my watch, which was the last gift I ever got from my mom,” Mary said. “They got my car, and I had a lot of personal belongings in my car, like family photos and pictures.”

Dallas PD says about 1:30 a.m. Monday, Mary’s car was found by officers who came upon a wreck at the intersection of E. Camp Wisdom Rd. and University Hills Boulevard. Pieces of her silver car can still be seen there.

Police say one of the passengers was injured. Another told officers the driver ran away. At this point, it appears there were no arrests.

“They have stolen everything from me,” the nurse said. “They’ve stolen my love of my job. They’ve stolen my security. They’ve stolen my trust in people. They’ve stolen my hope in people.”

Mary says she’s still traumatized, can’t sleep and hasn’t been home or even to work because she doesn’t know if the suspects are in custody.

“I chose to work at Parkland because they do so much good work in the community and they serve people that everyone else forgets,” she said.

Mary says she and other nurses have complained about the need for a visible police presence in and around the employee parking lot, especially during shift changes.

“They chose that spot because they knew it was easy prey,” she said. “They’re waiting for a nurse to come on shift. They knew there was no security around. They knew there was no officer on site, and they had easy access and an easy exit.”

Mike Malaise, senior vice president, communications and external relations for Parkland Health & Hospital System, released the following statement about Sunday’s incident:

“Our primary concern is for the well-being of our employee and offering her the support and services she needs in the aftermath of this crime. Parkland offers any of its employees affected by traumatic situations an array of services to help them recover. No one should ever have to face this kind of situation.”

Parkland Hospital says there is now a 24/7 police presence at the employee parking lot. The hospital says it is also recruiting and plans to hire additional officers.