A man making his way home from hospital dressed in a ward gown was chased by police after being mistaken for a psychiatric patient.
The unidentified patient, who had apparently damaged his clothes after injuring himself in a cycling accident, was pursued by a police helicopter in Kingston-upon-Thames.
A passer-by called police after seeing him walking along London Road with his bike at about 5pm on Saturday, according to reports in the Kingston Guardian.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">1705: Searching for a male in a hospital gown in <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/MPSKingston" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-194251-https://twitter.com/MPSKingston" data-vars-event-id="c23">@MPSKingston</a>, believed to have absconded from hospital. Located by local units.— MPS Helicopters (@MPSinthesky) <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/MPSinthesky/statuses/500679900475715584" class="body-link" data-vars-item-name="BL-194251-https://twitter.com/MPSinthesky/statuses/500679900475715584" data-vars-event-id="c23">August 16, 2014</a>
When officers on the ground eventually reached him, they clarified he had been free to leave Kingston Hospital and let him continue his journey.
The Metropolitan Police's helicopter unit publicised the hunt, which is believed to have lasted about 45 minutes, in a message on its official Twitter account.
It said: "1705: Searching for a male in a hospital gown in @MPSKingston, believed to have absconded from hospital. Located by local units."
The Met would not immediately confirm the bizarre incident but in a statement to ITV London, it said: "The male had been discharged from hospital after falling off his bike, and was allowed to keep the gown."
