A young man was stabbed and had a "household substance" thrown in his face tonight.
The attack led to a large area outside a busy NHS hospital cordoned off by police. The cordon will remain in place at Aintree University Hospital in Fazakerley, Liverpool, for most of the night, it's believed.
Emergency services dashed to nearby Walton after the stabbing and the hospital.
Access to the building is extremely limited with taxi drivers told to stay away, reports Liverpool Echo .
Photographs taken at the scene show multiple force vehicles, officers and tape. They first arrived at around 7pm, according to reports.
Some officers are seen dressed in hazmat suits, often worn by forensic units and those exposed to chemicals, in the images.
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"Detectives are investigating following an assault in Walton this evening, Sunday 12 January.
"At around 6.30pm, emergency services were called to Inglis Road to reports of a man in his 20s being reportedly stabbed and having an unknown substance thrown in his face," a spokesman for Merseyside Police said.
"The victim was taken to Aintree Hospital for assessment of his injuries and to establish the nature of the substance.
"Medical staff have now confirmed that the substance does not present any wider risk to others. It is initially assessed as being a household substance, which has caused the victim a minor facial injury.
"A cordon is in place at the scene of the assault as detectives conduct house-to-house, forensic and CCTV enquiries.
"A cordon was also in place at the hospital while their own medical assessment was made. This has now been removed and we thank members of the public for their patience and understanding."
The man's injuries are not life-threatening.
Chief Inspector Mark Everard said: "These are the early stages of our investigation into what appears to be a targeted attack.
"If you were in or near to Inglis Road at around 6.30pm and saw or heard anything, come forward right away and we will take positive action.
"This is clearly a serious assault and our focus is now on establishing the exact circumstances to bring those responsible to justice."
Aintree University Hospital became the single receiving site for major trauma patients on Merseyside in 2016.
Prince William opened the expanded urgent care and trauma centre there in September 2017.
The large maternity unit there opened in 1969.
