A police prisoner who tried to escape from The Queen's Medical Center on Thursday threatened to club a female patient with an officer's baton before he was subdued, a police affidavit said.

Wayne Naholowaa, 38, of Mililani was charged with first-degree attempted escape.

Before the incident, Naholowaa was being held in a police cellblock following his arrest for allegedly threatening his wife with a shotgun, rifle and hunting knife. He was taken to the Queen's emergency room after complaining of chest and stomach pains about 11 a.m. Thursday, according to the affidavit filed yesterday in District Court.

A hospital nurse asked police to remove Naholowaa's handcuffs so she could draw blood from him. When an officer attempted to re-secure the handcuffs on the suspect, he made a grab for the officer's gun, the court document said.

As the two tussled, Naholowaa grabbed the officer's baton and raised it over a woman lying on a nearby gurney, threatening to club her with it, the affidavit said.

When Naholowaa momentarily turned his gaze to the woman and said, "I'm really sorry to have to do this," police seized the opportunity to rush him and pull the patient to safety.

In the process, one of the officers suffered a 1-inch gash on his head when he was hit by the baton. Two stitches were needed to close the wound, the affidavit said.

The woman told police she had gone to Queen's to have her blood pressure checked and for chest pains.