Several Lake County Sheriff’s deputies were sprayed with bear spray Monday morning while dealing with a person having a mental health crisis, causing one to be hospitalized.

The sheriff’s office said members of its Crisis Outreach and Support Team and other deputies were attempting to serve a mental health writ on a Libertyville man, 41, in the 200 block of Pond Ridge Road, the sheriff’s office said in a news release.

A mental health writ involves a third party requesting from the courts an order to detain someone for the purposes of a mental health evaluation and care, which typically involves police transporting the person to a hospital or other mental health facility.

“In this case, the writ was issued following a petition to the court expressing concern for the individual’s safety and well-being,” the sheriff’s office said. “The petitioner reported the man was exhibiting concerning behavior, including paranoia, punching holes in the walls, lack of sleep, and unpredictable outbursts.”

Police said they first spoke to the man “through the closed bedroom door in a calm and de-escalating manner.” Deputies outside saw through a window that he was holding a hatchet, but he put it down “after continued communication,” according to the sheriff’s news release.

But as deputies entered the room to “take the man into custody, he suddenly grabbed a large canister of bear spray and sprayed deputies at close range without warning,” authorities said, adding one deputy was “sprayed directly in the eyes.”

He was taken to a hospital and six other deputies were treated by paramedics at the scene.

Deputies subdued the man with a TASER Conducted Energy Device, or CED, and took him into custody, police said. He was taken to a nearby hospital “for treatment for his exposure to the bear spray and his erratic behavior.”

That behavior continued at the hospital, where the man kicked a nurse, police said, adding they intend to pursue criminal charges against him.

“Our staff routinely place themselves in harm’s way while trying to help people during their most difficult moments. Mental health writs are inherently unpredictable, and this incident underscores those risks,” Sheriff John Idleburg said. “I’m incredibly proud of the deputies on scene for remaining calm, professional, and focused on safety, and I am hoping for a fast recovery of our hospitalized deputy.”