Timely intervention of police yesterday saved a 20-year-old man as he was chased by his mother’s partner with a butcher’s knife in St Paul’s Bay.

The man’s mother called police, saying her partner was chasing her son with a large knife.

Sources said officers arrived within minutes, cornered the 50-year-old man and disarmed him.

Preliminary investigations revealed the incident was sparked by a quarrel between the boy’s mother and her partner.

As it escalated, sources said the son intervened and struck the man, who took the knife from the kitchen drawer and chased him out of the door and on to the streets.

As he was being arrested, the older man tried to get hold of the knife again but was restrained by officers.

He was taken to the police station for questioning and is expected to be charged in court in the coming days.