
Police have launched an investigation after a man dropped a three-year-old girl from a bridge into a river in an apparent attempted murder.
Shortly after 8.30pm on Friday 29 September police were called to Crompton Way in Astley Bridge in Bolton to reports that a 39-year-old man was stood on a bridge threatening to drop a child into the river.
Specially trained police negotiators attended and an operation was put in place to rescue the child from the river should she fall.
Unfortunately, the man would not speak to officers and dropped the child into the water which was approximately 30 feet below.
An officer was already in the river and was able to reach the child shortly after she entered the water and she was carried to safety. She was taken to hospital where thankfully the extent of her injuries was a broken wrist.
The man then fell from the bridge into the water. Again, officers were able to reach him quickly and he was taken out of the water and taken to hospital. He sustained minor injuries and has now been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder.
A voluntary referral to the IPCC has been made.