The Associated Press is reporting that a patient at Washington state’s largest psychiatric hospital vaulted over a nurse’s station, knocked a nurse to the floor, choked her and bit part of her ear off.

Sunday’s assault is the latest in a series of attacks on Western State Hospital health care workers.

Willie Saw, a nursing supervisor, told AP that part of the nurse’s ear lobe was bitten off by the patient and will need to be re-attached with surgery.

Saw said this was the patient’s sixth assault on staff since he moved to the ward six months ago.