In a statement, the Lisbon Metropolitan Command (Cometlis) of the PSP, through the Cascais Police Division, said that the stabbing took place in the parish of Carcavelos, when the agents were driving him to an ambulance.

The detention of the man, in an irregular situation in the country, occurred as a result of a request for help from a fire brigade made by the man's mother, since “he was unstable and altered”.

“Police officers went to the scene to ensure the protection and safety of those involved,” the note reads.

Revealing a violent behaviour, the man wielded yet another knife, after stabbing the policeman, who had to be taken to the Hospital de São Francisco de Xavier, in Lisbon, where he was subjected to treatment and was then discharged.

“Having been ordered to drop them [the two knives], he did not obey, advancing again in the direction of the policemen, so a firearm was used to neutralize the threat against the life and physical integrity of the agents, shooting the leg of the aggressor”, describes Cometlis.

According to the PSP, the man continued to wield the knives after being hit, using pepper gas to immobilize him.

Cometlis adds that the man was taken to the same hospital unit as the injured policeman, to receive medical assistance, where he remains in police custody until he is presented before a judicial authority.

According to the police authorities, the incident was made known to the General Inspection of Internal Administration (IGAI).