A man walking into health insurer Aetna’s headquarters with an AR-style pistol in his backpack was detained by security without incident Thursday morning, police said.
The man walked in the Connecticut headquarters shortly after 10 a.m. and was detained within 3 minutes and held under city police officers arrived on the scene, according to a spokesperson for Hartford police.
It wasn’t immediately clear what the man’s plans were, Lt. Aaron Boisvert said.
The man was brought to Hartford police headquarters, but any information, including criminal charges, has not been released.
Woonsocket, Rhode Island-based CVS Health, Aetna's parent company, released a brief statement on the incident and did not immediately respond to follow-up questions.
“Earlier today, a suspicious person attempted to enter our office, was apprehended immediately by our security team and taken into custody by local police,” the statement said.
The arrest comes amid concerns about health care executives' safety, following the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York City.
Luigi Mangione, an Ivy League graduate from a wealthy Maryland family, has pleaded not guilty to state and federal charges connected to the killing. He has become a cause célèbre for people upset with the health insurance industry.
In February, CVS Health announced it would be laying off more than 300 remote workers who reported to the Aetna headquarters.
