LEHI, UT — A leaked video from inside Intermountain Health Primary Children’s Hospital in Lehi shows a heated confrontation between hospital staff and Lehi police, with multiple people accusing officers of barging into a locked unit and escalating a situation that staff say did not pose an immediate threat.
The footage, recorded Aug. 7, 2026, is now at the center of a 2News Investigates review of police records, staff accounts and statements from both the department and the hospital. Hospital workers who were involved have not spoken on camera, saying they feared retaliation or job consequences.
At the heart of the dispute is whether officers overstepped while trying to investigate a possible assault allegation involving a male patient. Lehi police say they later determined no assault occurred.
Police were called after a father reported a possible assault on his son
According to a redacted police report obtained by 2News Investigates, the call came from the father of a male patient who reported a possible assault against his son. The report says the father was not at the hospital when he called police and was not present when the alleged incident happened.
Lehi Police Cpl. Brandon Farnsworth and Officer Josh Holt arrived at 5:11 p.m., the report says. The encounter took place at 2250 North Miller Campus Drive, inside the hospital’s unit where staff say they first tried to keep officers in a waiting area.
Hospital personnel asked the officers to wait in a waiting room while they checked policy with management. Roughly 15 minutes later, the officers entered the locked unit, according to the video and the accounts reviewed by 2News Investigates.
Video shows officers pressing staff for answers and warning about obstruction
The video captures a sharp exchange between the officers and hospital workers as staff try to keep the police away from patients and families on the unit. Officer Holt is heard saying, “That is clear obstruction,” after staff members question the officers’ approach.
A registered nurse responds that staff are trying to follow hospital procedure, while a security supervisor attempts to explain the Intermountain process. In another exchange, Holt says it looks like staff are trying to hide something, and later suggests that refusing to answer questions could amount to obstruction.
The officers also tell staff they may need names and statements right away. At one point, Holt says police could pursue obstruction charges and get a warrant if cooperation is not immediate. The security supervisor pushes back, saying employees do not have to talk if they do not want to.
Staff say the child had been biting and spitting before the confrontation
As the argument continued, the security supervisor explained that the patient had been biting and spitting at staff and that a male nurse reached up to stop the boy. The child was restrained in a chair, the supervisor said, and used a phone in the room to call his mother.
According to the exchange captured on video, the mother later claimed a male nurse struck her son. She then called the boy’s father, who was not in the room, and he contacted police. That sequence is part of what prompted the officers’ visit to the hospital.
During the confrontation, staff tried to follow Intermountain policy while also answering police questions. The tension centered on whether the officers could demand names and statements from workers before management reviewed the situation.
Lehi police say the officers followed policy after reviewing footage
Lehi Police Chief Darren Paul declined an on-camera interview. The city’s communications manager, Jeanteil Livingston, instead provided a written statement said to come from the chief and the department.
In that statement, police said their investigation determined that an assault did not occur. The department also said it recognized miscommunication during the encounter and communication challenges tied to a language barrier involving a member of the family.
After reviewing digital footage, police said the officers acted according to department policy and protocol. The statement added that Lehi police and Primary Children’s Hospital later met and are working to improve communication and processes, including additional training.
Hospital and policing experts say the setting made the confrontation more serious
Chris Bertram, who specializes in police operations, said the encounter was more troubling because it unfolded inside a hospital where children, families and caregivers were present. He said the environment is supposed to be protected and calm, not a place for threats or coercion.
Bertram criticized the pressure he said staff appeared to face when officers warned of obstruction and arrest. He also called Corporal Farnsworth’s comments about Intermountain not having employees’ best interests at heart unprofessional.
Intermountain Health Primary Children’s Hospital declined an on-camera interview. Spokesman Jess Gomez said the hospital could not discuss specifics because of federal HIPAA privacy rules, but stressed that patient and caregiver safety remain top priorities.
The case echoes the 2017 Wubbels arrest and renewed questions about hospital policing
The Lehi incident has also drawn attention because of a well-known 2017 case at University of Utah Hospital, where nurse Alex Wubbels was arrested after refusing a warrantless blood draw from an unconscious patient. That case led to changes in how police interact with hospital staff and a $500,000 settlement for Wubbels.
Bertram said that history makes the Lehi confrontation even more concerning because hospital staff again appear to have faced coercion while trying to follow their own policies and legal guidance. He said the overlap of law enforcement authority and hospital procedure created a dangerous pressure point.
For now, both the police department and the hospital say they are trying to improve how they communicate during similar calls in the future. The video, the police report and the competing statements leave the central question focused on how far officers should go when they enter a hospital to investigate an allegation.
Local news that matters, from Dulaney Griffin.
