Qormi man who threatened police officer with knife, arrested

An off duty policeman, PC Alfred Chetcuti, was attacked by a man wielding a knife when he attempted to bring under control a distirbance.

Chetcuti was returning home from duty at 8pm when he came across a man in Victory Street in Qormi, who was shouting in the street and disturbing the nieghbours. When PC Chetcuti approached the man to calm him down, the man tried to attack him with a knife.

Hearing the commotion outside his house, another police officer, PC Charles Dingli - who was also off duty - went out to assist his colleague but the man did not obey the orders given to him by the two policemen.

As the man tried to attack again both officers with the knife, PC Chetcuti used pepper spray on the man but this was to no avail and the man ran off. Chetcuti and Dingli gave chase and also called for back up where units from the RIU responded in no time.

After a chase through some streets of Qormi, the man was surrounded by the police in Triq iz-Zinzel and stopped the man after a small struggle. Police Sergeant Dennis Agius and PC James Mangion arrested the man, a 43-year-old from Qormi, and took him to Qormi Police Station.

Acting Superintendent Kevin Farrugia and Inspector Joseph Agius are investigating the case.