In the 11.17pm incident, the suspect was shot in the thigh after the officer fired in self-defence.

State police chief Yusoff Mamat said prior to the incident, patrolling officers from the Machang police headquarters encountered two men acting suspiciously.

When they attempted to conduct a check, one of the two men pulled out a parang and started attacking the officers, forcing one of them to fire several shots at the suspect.

“Both suspects fled. However, police arrested one of them, a man in his 30s, nearby shortly after,” Utusan Malaysia reported him as saying.

Yusoff said the suspect is now in stable condition and receiving treatment at a hospital. The policeman who was attacked was not injured.

“Early investigations found that the suspect has nine prior records involving drugs, criminal intimidation, dangerous weapons, obstruction of civil servants, domestic violence, receipt of stolen goods, assault and trespassing,” he said.

The suspect has been remanded for seven days starting today for further investigation. The case is being investigated under Section 307 of the Penal Code for attempted murder.