GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Chief Operating Officer at the John Ball Zoo confirms an employee there was assaulted Wednesday afternoon by a person who was unauthorized to be an area near the service entrance.
Andy McIntrye said in a written statement that employees contacted police, who arrived at the zoo just after 3 p.m. The suspect was arrested by the Grand Rapids Police at the zoo; reportedly after a brief foot chase.
The female employee who was assaulted by the man was taken to a hospital for evaluation. No names or ages have been released.
Details about the nature of the assault were not provided.
The following statement was released by the John Ball Zoo on behalf of McIntrye:
“At John Ball Zoo, the safety of our guests, team members and animals is our top priority. Yesterday afternoon, one of our employees was assaulted by an unauthorized individual in an area surrounding a service entrance to the Zoo. Other team members called emergency services, and the individual was taken into custody by the Grand Rapids Police Department.
Our team member who was assaulted is receiving medical evaluation. Our thoughts are with them at this time, and we will continue to do everything we can to support our team.
We are actively reviewing this incident with local police, and we want to assure our guests and community that this is an isolated incident. We remain committed to maintaining a safe and secure environment at John Ball Zoo.”
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