A 34-year-old man of Valletta this morning was arrested after a dramatic car chase from Qormi to Paola during which an off-duty officer who was riding a motorbike was hit, the police said.

The man, who was wanted by the police for a number of criminal offences, was seen by officers as he was driving a Hyundai Lantra in Qormi at around 7.15am.

As soon as he noticed the police, the man attempted to escape by driving recklessly towards the direction of Marsa, "causing danger to others", the police said.

In Triq tat-Tromba, the driver hit a motorbike on which there was an off duty officer and kept on going. The officer, a 25-year-old constable, was taken to hospital. Police later said that the man was suffering from slight injuries.

At this point, members of the Rapid Intervention Unit fired warning shots, but the man kept on driving towards Paola, via Sir Paul Boffa Avenue.

The officers chasing the man fired again, aiming for the car tyres, and it was at the end of the road that the man was stopped and arrested.

Magistrate Natasha Galea Sciberras is leading an inquiry.