Bad blood may have led to a man allegedly chasing another with a running chainsaw at an Alexandra service station.
A 45-year-old Roxburgh man was arrested after he and a man with ''some long-standing ill-feeling'' between them became involved in a ''heated argument'' about 2.30pm yesterday, Senior Sergeant Ian Kerrisk, of Alexandra, said.
The argument ended with the 45-year-old man taking a chainsaw from the boot of his car, starting it and moving towards the other person while the chain was running, he said.
Mobil manager Graham McNabb said a staff member told him two members of the public were arguing on the forecourt, and thought a fight was about to occur.
''He [the 45-year-old man] got a chainsaw out of the back of his car and cranked her up on the forecourt ... I stayed inside and called the police.
''He was certainly chasing the guy, there's no doubt about it.''
Few people were around, although a woman had been refuelling her vehicle at the time.
''She seemed pretty cool, calm and collected about the whole thing.
"My staff members were OK - there was no harm done. If there was a bit of blood it would have been different.''
Snr Sgt Kerrisk said the two men left the area when they realised police were coming.
The Roxburgh man later handed himself into the Alexandra Police Station, complete with chainsaw.
He was charged with assault with a weapon and will appear in the Alexandra District Court today.
The other man involved, a 43-year-old Alexandra resident, was not injured, Snr Sgt Kerrisk said.
