StarMed closes COVID testing site for the day after man threatened worker with shotgun
Frustrations over long lines for COVID-19 testing may have reached a boiling point Wednesday after a man threatened a StarMed Healthcare worker with two dogs and a shotgun, the Charlotte company confirmed to the Observer.
The incident happened at the South Boulevard testing site, near Arrowood Road, StarMed CEO Mike Estramonte told Observer news partner WBTV. Police were called, and no one was hurt.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg police did not immediately respond to an Observer request for comment.
National Guard members from StarMed’s west Charlotte location were moved to South Boulevard after the incident, Estramonte told WBTV. The center also is speaking with Mecklenburg County about increasing security at its locations, he said.
Operations returned to normal for a couple hours, but StarMed later closed the site for the day.
Estramonte told WBTV he believes the incident stemmed from frustrations over long testing lines that backed up into neighborhoods and caused traffic issues.
StarMed acquired the South Boulevard location last summer and planned to build primary care offices there, Estramonte said. The location opened in mid-December for testing and vaccination services.
This story was originally published January 5, 2022 at 2:24 PM.
