Georgia police say a woman recovering from a stroke in a hospital awoke to find a nude man trying to sexually assault her after nurses had watched him smoke crack in an elevator.

The alarming incident unfolded on Sept. 27 at the Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta at about 4:30 p.m, when police say 24-year-old Shamon Pearce walked in and went to the elevator.

'She began moving and telling him to get off her and they both fell off the bed. She tried to scream for someone to help.'

Several nurses in the elevator said that Pearce began to smoke crack in front of them. They reported the incident to security.

Pearce then undressed and snuck into the room of a 47-year-old female patient who was sleeping while recovering from a stoke. She awoke to find him on top of her and trying to sexually assault her.

“She began moving and telling him to get off her and they both fell off the bed. She tried to scream for someone to help," wrote the reporting officer.

A nurse heard the commotion and took action against the man, according to police. She took photographs with her phone and called for the other nurses. When they arrived, they tried to lock the room to prevent Pearce from escaping. He was able to overpower them and ran off naked.

Police said surveillance video showed him get into a trash can and hide for over an hour. They later found him near the hospital under a bridge. Investigators said they found his clothing as well as a crack pipe in the victim's room.

In an interview with police, Pearce allegedly said he was "high" and just "trying something new."

He was charged with numerous crimes, including intent to rape, sexual battery, and battery.

The hospital said it was updating its security measures after this incident and another on the same day during which a murder suspect who was receiving treatment escaped custody.

Video from the hospital can be viewed on WSB-TV's news report on YouTube.

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