Acting area commander Southland Inspector Jon Bisset said the man was arrested shortly before 7pm in relation to a firearms incident in Brown St on Saturday.
The man is expected to appear in the Invercargill District Court this morning, charged with attempted murder.
Insp Bisset said that, during a brief pursuit involving police vehicles yesterday, a police officer was knocked down by a fleeing vehicle.
"Fortunately, the officer suffered only minor injuries,'' he said.
The impact of the collision dislodged the officer's police-issued firearm.
A member of the public saw the firearm on the footpath and secured it for police.
Insp Bisset thanked that person for their help.
A vehicle belonging to another member of the public also had minor damage after it was struck by the offender's car. The occupant was uninjured.
"Police acknowledge that this incident has been unsettling for the local community,'' he said.
Police and the armed offenders squad were called to an address in Brown St, Strathern, about 7.40pm on Saturday. They found a man with an apparent gunshot wound.
The victim injured in the firearms incident on Saturday remains in Southland Hospital in a serious but stable condition, Insp Bisset said.
