POLICE called to deal with a fight ended up in a nine hour operation, halting trains and leaving an officer hospitalised.
Officers were called to a fight outside Muchos Nachos, in Whyke Road, Chichester, at 10.20pm on Saturday.
When one man was believed to have run away across the railway line trains had to be stopped.
Officers then found a man in Wyke Road and sprayed him with captor spray - but he ran away again.
Another officer traced him to a industrial estate in Gravel Lane, but he assaulted the officer leaving him unconscious.
Another officer Tasered the suspect but he got away again.
Eventually the man was traced to an address in Bognor Road, Merston at 4.30am.
Firearms officers and negotiators then spent almost three hours on the scene, before tasering the suspect again and arresting him at 7.20am.
The police officer who was knocked unconscious was taken to St Richard's Hospital in Chichester suffering from a head injury, but has now been allowed to go home.
Inspector Neal Harvey said: "There was a lot of police activity in Chichester last night and the trains had to be stopped while we were looking for the suspect. Thankfully my colleague who was injured has been released from hospital and is recovering well.
"Anyone who saw the fight in Whyke Road is asked to contact police on 101@sussex.police.uk quoting Operation Merrion."
A 37-year-old man with no fixed address was arrested on suspicion of attempted GBH and affray.
A 41-year-old man, who had also been at the address in Bognor Road, was arrested on suspicion of obstructing police.
They both remain in custody at this time.
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