A police officer received medical attention after being headbutted in the face by a wanted man in an abandoned building.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said police were called to a vacant building on Princes St, at 10.30pm on Wednesday.
On arrival, police discovered four people in the building. A 34-year-old man, was arrested but resisted.
"He has headbutted the attending police officer in the face," Snr Sgt Bond said.
There was "substantial swelling" to the officer’s face but no broken cheekbone, and they received medical treatment.
Snr Sgt Bond said a case of an officer being headbutted in the face was "very unusual".
Damage to the surrounding eye, nose and jaw areas could cause serious long-term injuries, depending on the severity, he said.
Snr Sgt Bond said the building owner had ongoing issues with homeless people, which posed a fire hazard.
The man appeared in the Dunedin District Court this morning on charges of assault to police, resisting arrest, unlawfully entering a building and breaching bail conditions.
He was remanded in custody without plea and will be back in court next week.
