By EMILY COOPER

Published: 19:41 GMT, 3 January 2026 | Updated: 20:37 GMT, 3 January 2026

A 22-year-old man has been arrested after three patients were savagely attacked in a hospital's accident and emergency department, including one whose 'ear was bitten off'. 

Greater Manchester Police rushed to Bolton Hospital at around 4.15pm on Friday afternoon after reports of a man attacking patients.

A man in his early twenties has since been arrested on suspicion of assault, assault on a police officer and racially aggravated public order.

He has been detained under Section 136 of the Mental Health Act, according to police.

A woman in her forties and a man in his seventies sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene.

A second man suffered serious ear injuries but has since been discharged from hospital.

One witness said he and his pregnant wife watched in horror as the attacker 'punched a frail man in the face', causing him to fall to the ground.

The attacker then latched on to another man's ear and bit 'part of it off'.

Police vehicles are seen outside the A&E entrance to Bolton Hospital on Friday evening

'I had gone to A&E with my partner, who is pregnant, and we were waiting at the desk to be checked in,' Michael Anderson, 34, said. 'Two police officers had come in escorting this other lad who was behind us. 

'We were seen to and sat down, and he was getting irate in his chair. 

'After about ten minutes he stood up and went near to the entrance and began to count out every person in the waiting room. He then went into the corridor and it was quiet for a minute or so before he started screaming.

'There was this man, who was quite frail, walking out and this guy swung for him. Another person then saw this and tried to grab him and stop him, when he latched onto his ear and has bitten part of it off.'

Mr Anderson recalled how he and a male nurse heroically pinned the suspect to the ground to prevent further attacks before security later arrived minutes later.

He said one girl was curled up in a ball on the floor in terror. 

'My pregnant girlfriend was panicking by this point, so I went in and tried to put him on the floor,' he said. 

'I pulled him up off the man he was latching on to and throw him back down, got on top of him and restrained him. A male nurse came to help.'

'There were people around on the floor, us restraining him and pinning him down, and I had kept asking for security.

'There was a girl sitting on the floor with her knees to her chest having a panic attack.