The search of a 37-year-old suspect in a parking lot in Larnaca resulted in two police officers being injured on Friday night, police said on Saturday.

The incident occurred at around 10.30pm when patrolling officers noticed the suspect observing parked vehicles in a parking place.

When officers approached him for a check, the 37-year-old entered a vehicle despite being instructed by the police to stop.

He then started the engine and reversed into a parked car in an attempt to escape.

One of the police officers then proceeded to open the door of the vehicle to stop the suspect, resulting in him being injured in the leg.

The suspect then crashed his car into an EAC pole and into the right-hand side of a police car, where the second police officer was sitting in the driver’s seat.

The suspect was arrested after the vehicle was stopped at the scene. During the arrest, he caused concern by shouting and attempting to strike an officer in the face.

A subsequent drug test returned a positive preliminary result.

Police later seized a pair of folding knives from the suspects’ car, one of which was open.

The two officers were medically examined at Larnaca general hospital.

The suspect appeared before Larnaca district court on Saturday morning, where he was remanded for five days.

He is charged with negligent and reckless acts, assault, resistance to legal arrest, the carrying of knives, causing concern in a public place, driving under the influence of drugs, causing damage to an official vehicle and other offences.