A policeman sustained slight injuries when he jumped off a balcony to avoid being stabbed by a man wielding five knives yesterday morning.

Both the policeman and the 57-year-old man were hospitalised, with the latter found to be suffering from serious injuries.

The incident took place at about 10.45 a.m. when the police were asked to intervene in a domestic dispute in Magħsar Street, Żabbar.

First on the scene were two district policemen but, since they did not have the right equipment, such as a taser gun, usually used to restrain people who are causing disturbances, they asked for back-up assistance.

Several mobile squad units rushed to the residence, especially since there were members of the man’s family inside at the time.

Police Constable Jean Paul Vella was one of the first on the scene. Wearing a bulletproof vest, PC Vella and his colleague tried to enter the house but the man started hurling things at them and became even more aggressive.

When several attempts to persuade him to exit the house failed, PC Vella tried to gain access to the house through a balcony of an adjacent building. When the man was in his line of sight, PC Vella noticed that he was brandishing five knives.

The policeman fired a taser gun in his direction but the electric shock did not seem to have worked immediately because the man tried to assault the officer, forcing him to jump off the balcony to avoid being stabbed.

The policeman and the man were rushed to Mater Dei Hospital where the policeman was found to have suffered slight injuries while the man was grievously injured. It is thought he was hurt when resisting arrest. The police did not say what sort of injuries the man sustained.

Duty Magistrate Consuelo Scerri Herrera has opened an inquiry.