SANTA CRUZ >> Authorities are searching for a man who called 911 for assistance Tuesday morning, claiming Dominican Hospital either killed or mistreated his wife and that he intended to shoot up the hospital, according to Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.

The hospital was placed on lockdown shortly after the call about 9:50 a.m., Sgt. Chris Clark said.

Hospital spokeswoman Claire Henry confirmed the lockdown had been lifted by late morning but was unable to provide an exact time.

“What I can tell you is that hospital operations are not affected,” Henry said.

The man made the threat “because of how upset he was (and) he threatened to bring a weapon to Dominican Hospital,” Clark said.

The hospital, which initiated the lockdown, lifted the order later Tuesday, Clark said.

“We have committed a number of resources for the safety of the staff and clients,” Clark said. “We are investigating leads to determine who the caller was and to substantiate any of the information.”

The Sheriff’s Office notified the hospital about the threat.

“We take these incidents very seriously,” Clark said.

The Sheriff’s Office asks anyone with information about the threat to call dispatch at 831-471-1121.