The police of Qiaokou district in Wuhan, Hubei province, the outbreak center of the novel coronavirus, detained a man for criminally assaulting medical personnel on Thursday.

According to the statement issued by local police, Qiaokou police received a phone call from a hospital in their district saying a patient's family member was beating a nurse on the 12th floor of the hospital at 0:15 am on Jan 30.

The police entered the isolation zone of the hospital and took the attacker, surnamed Ke, away from the spot to the police station for investigation.

Through investigation, authorities learned Ke's father-in-law, 68, died of viral pneumonia in the hospital on the same day. Ke was so emotional he grabbed and beat the doctor on the head and neck. The doctor's facial mask and protective suit were also torn. His behavior has disturbed normal operations of the hospital.

At present, police have filed a criminal case and Ke has been placed under criminal detention according to law.