Officers attended a service station in Rosemary Street, Mansfield, after receiving reports a man had been injured.
A man in his thirties was taken to hospital with injuries not currently believed to be life-altering following the incident at around 9.40pm on Sunday (13 August).
A 20-year-old man was arrested shortly afterwards on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm with intent.
Police also arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of assisting an offender and obstructing an officer in the execution of their duty.
Sergeant Alice Bartle, of Nottinghamshire Police, said: “This was a serious assault that left a man in hospital with injuries that thankfully weren’t more severe.
“It really should go without saying but violence of this nature is completely unacceptable and will not be tolerated by Nottinghamshire Police.
“While we believe this assault to have been an isolated incident that poses no risk to the wider public, we will be carrying out reassurance patrols across the area.
“Inquiries are still ongoing into this incident, so we’d ask anyone who saw what happened, or has any information that could assist our investigation to get in touch immediately.”
