There was drama close to Balmoral Avenue in the Half-Way Tree area of St Andrew yesterday after a policeman was reportedly chopped by a man said to be of unsound mind.

Both men had to be rushed to hospital after the cop's alleged attacker was subsequently shot by another policemen who was on the scene.

According to police reports, sometime after 2 p.m., the lawman, who is attached to the Protective Services and was in plain clothes, was walking along the roadway when he was attacked and chopped with a blunt instrument. The alleged attacker was then shot by colleagues of the policeman.

Both men were then taken to hospital.

"Mi naw lie, mi fraid a dem madman ya eno. When me see dem me walk wide and go pon all di next side a di road," remarked one man who witnessed the ordeal.

"Di man walk pass mi good good and by the next second mi look a pure *lo** mi see a run from him head. People all start run up and down when the other policeman dem help him, shot fire and pure ting," he added.

The incident also caused a traffic build-up on a number of roads in the area.