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Mother Of Man Arrested With BB Gun Outside Hospital Speaks Out

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- "In my head I'm like 'why would you have a BB gun, what for? You're scaring people at the hospital,'" Nicole Randolph said.

Nicole Randolph said she never knew her son, Alex Randolph, 24, had a BB gun.

"When he left here, he had nothing in his pockets," Randolph said.  "I don't know how he had this BB gun or where he found it at."

KDKA spoke to Randolph's mother at their home in the Garfield section of Pittsburgh.

It was around 9 p.m. Saturday night when UPMC police spotted Randolph and another man. They were heading into the main entrance of Magee Women's Hospital.

Police suspected the two had a gun so they drew their weapons and ordered the men to keep their hands visible.

The officers didn't find a gun. But after a visitor told investigators he saw Randolph with one, the suspect admitted he had thrown the weapon into the bushes in front of the hospital on Halket street.

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Randolph led police to it, but turns out, it was a BB gun, a black plastic airsoft gun and had the front safety cap partially broken off and covered in black tape.

"My girlfriend called me on the phone so I'm like what's going on. She said your son had a BB gun. How'd he get a gun? She didn't know," Randolph said.

A bronze alert was issued at the hospital, alerting staff to steer clear of the Magee waiting room.  The hospital released a statement saying in part:

"Magee-Women's Hospital of UPMC this evening received a report of a person with a weapon on the premises outside the hospital.  A suspect in possession of a BB gun was taken into custody by police. UPMC security and law enforcement collaborated to ensure that there was no threat to patients, employees or visitors." 

"It will be a lesson learned. This is the second time in a row. Just gotta deal with it," Randolph said.

Randolph is here at the Allegheny County Jail.  His bail has been set to $50,000.  His preliminary hearing is scheduled for next month.

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