UPDATE: Details on this story have changed. The LA Times is now reporting only the tip of the man's finger was bitten off and it was not reattached. Click here for an updated version.
A 65-year-old man who opposes Barack Obama's plans for healthcare reform had one of his fingers bitten off during a pro-reform rally organised by the liberal political action group MoveOn.org.
After 100 protesters supporting a healthcare overhaul assembled for a vigil in Thousand Oaks, California yesterday, a group of people who opposed reform showed up.
A confrontation ensued between a man who supported healthcare reform and one of the members of the anti-reform group, police said.
The two men yelled at each other and then got into a fist fight. As the brawl escalated, the pro-reform protester bit a finger off of the 65-year-old.
The injured man walked to a nearby hospital where his finger was reattached. A hospital spokeswoman said the man had Medicare, the US government-run insurance programme for older citizens.
A MoveOn spokeswoman expressed regret for the incident and said the organisation "condemns violence in all forms," according to Politico.
She said: "While we don't know if either party involved was a MoveOn member, we regret any violence that may have occurred yesterday, and we support the Ventura county sheriff's investigation into the situation."
