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A man allegedly attacked hospital staff with a weapon after he was denied an appointment, police say.
Following a report that a man had attacked several people with a weapon, which could have been a crowbar, officers were called to Newton Community Hospital in Newton-Le-Willows just after 12pm on Tuesday, Merseyside Police said.
The force said the man was believed to have become "increasingly agitated" after his request for a hospital appointment was declined and he was asked to leave.
Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron, for the Newton-le-Willows ward, said his father, who lives next door to the hospital, heard that someone was attacking staff at the Newton Community Hospital and damaging the reception area.
Mr Gomez-Aspron 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."
A 20-year-old man, originally from Afghanistan, was arrested on suspicion of five counts of Section 18 wounding, affray and criminal damage.
The victims of the assault are being treated by paramedics at the hospital for injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening, police said.
Superintendent Sarah Rotherham said: "We were called to reports of a man behaving aggressively at the hospital who had assaulted a number of people."
She said officers attended immediately and a male was "swiftly located and arrested".
"Paramedics attended at the hospital and carried out first aid to those who had been injured," she added.
Anyone who witnessed the incident is asked to contact Merseyside Police or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
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