An Englishman has been arrested after a hit and run on Home Affairs Minister Manwel Mallia's car which was followed by a car chase in which the minister's driver, a police officer, also fired warning shots.

The Department of Information said that on Wednesday evening, the Englishman drove into the minister's car which was parked in Gzira. The car was empty at the time. The minister at the time was attending an official function at the police headquarters in Floriana.

On hearing the impact, the minister's driver rushed out to see what had taken place and on realising that it was a hit and run incident, followed the car that had been involved.

At one point, the person driving the car tried to force the minister's car on to the wall at the Tal-Qroqq tunnels and when both cars stopped, the man came out of the car to assault the minister's driver with a glass bottle.

It was at this point that the minister's driver fired warning shots in the air. The Englishman fled the scene but he was arrested some time later by members of the Rapid Intervention Unit.

The DOI said the Englishman refused to take a breathalyser test.

A magisterial inquiry has been launched.