MAINZ, Germany – An American soldier was shot twice by German police after drunkenly rampaging through a hospital with a fire extinguisher, officials said. The 28-year-old serviceman had been brought to the emergency room after sustaining a head wound at Munich’s world-famous Oktoberfest on Thursday night.

A police spokesman told NBC News that the soldier had been unruly while being transported him from the beer festival in an ambulance. After arriving at the hospital, the American allegedly ripped three fire extinguishers from the wall and injured an 89-year-old man. According to police, he was shot in the legs after threatening medical staff and visitors and ignoring repeated warnings in German and English by two officers. Police shootings are rare in Germany with officers in the state of Bavaria only using their weapons nine times this year to injure or kill someone. A spokesperson for the U.S. Army in Germany told NBC News that the soldier has been stationed in Grafenwoehr since January 2013 and that the incident was under investigation.

IN-DEPTH

- Carlo Angerer