Father Gets in Standoff With Police to Prevent Doctors From Pulling the Plug on Son in Coma

A father went to drastic lengths to prevent doctors from pulling the plug on his son, who was brain-dead.

George Pickering II was charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

He went into Tomball Regional Medical Center in Houston, Texas, and got involved in an hours-long standoff with police. He also reportedly threatened hospital staff, according to Click2Houston.com.

Pickering’s son, George Pickering III, was on life support. He had a history of seizures and in January, he suffered a stroke. “They were saying he was brain dead, he was a vegetable,” said Pickering.

Doctors said there was no more hope and ordered a “terminal wean,” meaning that life support is slowly withdrawn to end a life.

Related Coverage

Dad Dies Saving Daughter From Drowning—Hours Before His Father’s Memorial Service

“They were moving too fast. The hospital, the nurses, the doctors. I knew if I had three or four hours that night that I would know whether George was brain-dead,” Pickering Sr. told the website.

The elder Pickering believed his son was misdiagnosed, saying, “During that three hours, George squeezed my hand three or four times on command.”

His son later came out of the coma and fully recovered.

The charges against Pickering were eventually reduced.

His son said, “There was a law broken, but it was broken for all the right reasons,” per MailOnline. “I’m here now because of it. It was love, it was love.”

According to FOX59, Pickering Sr. had admitted to being drunk that night.

After a few hours, he surrendered peacefully.

“At that point I had blinders on. All I knew I just needed to have this time with George,” said Pickering.