A 35-year-old man threw at hatchet at police as he was being arrested in Lyneham on Wednesday.

Police responded by tasering him.

He was one of two people arrested in the latest action by Operation Toric, which targets recidivist offenders who commit motor vehicle thefts and dangerous driving offences.

On Wednesday, police in Lyneham saw a blue Mitsubishi Outlander with stolen number plates, with further checks revealing it as a likely stolen car.

While police were following the Outlander, the driver ran a red light into Dickson, before being sighted in Ainslie, Dickson and Reid.

At 10.30pm, police confirmed the car was parked in Fernyhough Street, Lyneham, and surrounded it so it couldn’t be driven away.

When officers entered the backyard of the residence, the 35-year-old Lyneham man who had been seen driving the Outlander was attempting to climb on to a balcony, where a woman who had also been seen in the Outlander was standing.

During his arrest, police say the man  threw a hatchet at them. As a result they used a taser on him.

A 35-year-old Richardson woman jumped from the balcony and was arrested, before being taken to hospital for minor treatment for minor injuries sustained from the fall.