A MAN HAS BEEN arrested in Northern Ireland on suspicion of offences including the attempted murder of three police officers, aggravated vehicle taking, criminal damage and dangerous driving.

Local policing team officers were responding to a disturbance at a house on Rathkeel Road in Ballymena, Co Antrim at around 11.35pm last night when a red Vauxhall Vectra car was driven directly at one of the officers outside the home, forcing him to jump out of the way of the approaching vehicle, the PSNI said in a statement. 

The Vectra continued for a short distance before ramming a stationary police vehicle, with the force of the collision causing the police car to strike an officer nearby and forcing another officer to jump out of the way to avoid being hit by the Vectra.

The suspect then continued in his vehicle in the direction of Broughshane, losing a tyre on the way, which in turn struck another car travelling along the same road.

The PSNI said police were able to successfully pursue the suspect vehicle and deploy a stinger device.

The vehicle then collided with the fence of a house on Whinsmoor Road and stopped.

The driver, a man aged 35, was arrested and remains in police custody this morning.

He will also be questioned in connection with the originally reported disturbance at the Rathkeel Road property.

PSNI Chief Inspector Adrian Bryan said: “Despite being injured during the incident, all three of the officers involved remained on duty for the remainder of the night. The work police officers do to keep people safe and protect the public should never be taken for granted.”