Five people were injured at a hospital after a patient was refused an appointment and launched a crowbar attack on staff.
Officers were called to Newton Community Hospital in Newton-Le-Willows, Merseyside, after a man had become increasingly agitated after asking for an appointment at midday on Tuesday.
It is understood that the man’s request was denied and he was asked to leave, which is when he became angered and damaged a counter before assaulting several people with a weapon – thought to be a crowbar.
Those injured are currently being treated by paramedics, with none of the injuries thought to be life-threatening.
Shop worker Sugedaran Shanmugaraja, 51, said police were called to the scene when an injured woman fled to get help.
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He was working in the Best One shop, over the road from the hospital, when the woman, who was bleeding from the head, came in and asked for him to call the police.
He said: ‘I gave her my phone to call. I could see blood and she said somebody was attacking everybody.’
About 10 or 15 police cars arrived at the scene shortly after she had called and nurses came into the shop to treat her, he said.
He said there was a grey Toyota Urban Cruiser parked outside the store, with a bottle of water on the roof, cordoned off with police tape, which was believed to belong to the attacker.
Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron, for the Newton-le-Willows ward, said: ‘At around 12.10pm I got a phone call from my dad, who lives next to the hospital, to say a family friend had run to his house to tell him that someone was attacking staff within the hospital and damaging the reception area.
‘I live nearby, so I told him to call the police and I rushed to the hospital and so I got there within a few minutes.
‘From receiving the call, to arriving, there had been a massive emergency response to deal with the incident.
‘I can only thank Merseyside Police and North West Ambulance Service for such a swift and efficient response, running into a scenario where danger is unknown.
‘It’s a shock, but as always, we need to await the full facts without speculation.’
St Helens Neighbourhood Superintendent Sarah Rotherham said: ‘We were called to reports of a man behaving aggressively at the hospital who had assaulted a number of people.
‘Officers attended immediately and the male was swiftly located and arrested.
‘Paramedics attended at the hospital and carried out first aid to those who had been injured.
‘I would like to take this opportunity for anyone who witnessed this incident at the hospital to contact us.’
According to the police, the man, originally from Afghanistan, was swiftly detained by officers at the scene.
He has since been arrested on suspicion of five counts of Section 18 wounding, affray and criminal damage.
The suspect was taken to a police station in Merseyside and remains in custody.
Members of the public are advised to avoid the area while enquiries at the scene are ongoing.
Mersey and West Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust said in a statement: ‘We can confirm that an incident occurred at Newton Hospital today (30 December 2025), and the Trust is working closely with Merseyside Police as they conduct their investigations.
‘Our priority is the safety and wellbeing of our staff, patients, and visitors, and we are providing full support to those affected.
‘If you have an appointment at Newton Hospital or are the next of kin of an inpatient, our team will contact you directly with any updates.’
A North West Ambulance spokesperson said: ‘We were called at 12.08 to an incident at Newton Community Hospital involving the assault of a number of people.
‘The trust dispatched varying resources, including an advanced paramedic, five emergency ambulances, a rapid response car, and the air ambulance, and five patients were taken to local hospitals for treatment.’
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Merseyside Police.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
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