According to initial reports, the men threatened and attacked an employee of the Straubing District Hospital. They held him down and forced him to open the gate at the main entrance before letting him go and fleeing on foot towards Alburg.
The employee was taken to hospital.
Two of the men had been admitted to the specialist forensic psychiatry and psychotherapy clinic in Straubing for drug offences and two for theft, said a police spokesman. All four were under detoxification orders.
Two of the men are 28, one is 27 and the fourth is 31 years old and all are considered "dangerous".
The police advised citizens not to pick up hitchhikers or approach suspicious people; instead, they should should call the police emergency number 110.
There are currently large numbers of police officers on duty in Straubing, which has a population of 50,000, as Bavaria's second-largest festival (after Oktoberfest), the Gäubodenvolksfest is currently underway.
The festival attracts 1.3 million visitors to the city over its ten-day duration.
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