Axe-attack victim may owe his life to passing constable

A policeman's fortunate timing may have saved the life of a man near Arthurs Pass last night when he stumbled upon a serious assault - involving an axe.

Senior Sergeant Stu Munro said a lone constable was travelling back to Christchurch from a court hearing in Greymouth about 6.30pm when he "happened across" the attack on a street in the isolated township of Bealey, 12km southeast of Arthurs Pass.

Inspector John Doherty, of Christchurch, said the constable's timing could have saved the victim from further harm.

"They say there's never a policeman there when you want one ... My understanding is that he was just passing through. He saw an attack, on the street or wherever it was, or was somehow alerted to it."

The constable radioed for back-up after the attacker jumped into a vehicle and sped towards Christchurch, reaching speeds of up to 140km/h.

Mr Doherty said that during the pursuit, one of the chasing officers saw what might have been a gun in the man's car, and the armed offenders squad was called.

The chase ended when the man's car ploughed into road spikes laid near West Melton, 23km west of Christchurch.

The man was taken into custody. His victim was taken to Christchurch Hospital with moderate injuries.

Police last night could not confirm what sparked the attack.

- Derek Cheng, NZPA