Four people have been injured in a stabbing at a Shanghai hospital, local police said, before the attacker with a knife was shot and subdued by officers.
Huangpu District Police said on social media that he received emergency reports at 11:30 a.m. local time (4:30 a.m. BST) on Saturday from a stabbing at Ruijin Hospital.
“Police quickly arrived at the scene and discovered a man who was holding hostage a group of people with a knife on the seventh floor of the hospital,” the statement said. “When the suspect intended to injure the hostages and punish the police, the police resolutely fired a shot to injure him and subdue him.”
Four members of the public were being treated for injuries and were not in life-threatening condition, the statement added.
The motive of the attacker is still unclear.
Chinese media released videos showing armed police trying to enter a locked room in the hospital. Another video with a lot of circulation on social media showed more than a dozen citizens running from the building.
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Massive violent crimes are rare in China, which strictly prohibits citizens from carrying firearms, but knife attacks occur occasionally.
Last month, a 23-year-old man in the eastern city of Ningbo died after being stabbed violently in the street in broad daylight. The video of the attack near a bus stop went viral on social media.
In recent years, there have been a series of deadly knife attacks across the country aimed at kindergarten and school students, carried out by people who are said to have wanted revenge on society.