The alleged theft of a police car in the Highlands will be investigated by the force’s independent commissioner.
An officer was reported to have been assaulted prior to the vehicle being taken in the incident at Gorstan, Ross-shire, on September 11.
The drama ended when the police car collided with another vehicle on the A832 Gorstan-Achnasheen road.
The police car was badly damaged, although the driver was unhurt.
The other vehicle ended up on its roof in a ditch. The female driver was taken to hospital.
A catalogue of items from the police car were strewn across the road as a result of the crash.
Unusually, the injured officer, who was named as Constable John Maclennan, was alone when he approached a man reported to be acting suspiciously in the Gorstan area.
It is understood that the officer was not specifically asked to go to the incident but was close by and decided to attend.
He was then allegedly assaulted before the vehicle was stolen.
Constable Maclennan’s injuries were not serious, however, and he was able to return to work five days later on September 16.
Now the north force is investigating what happened and will refer the incident to the Police Investigation and Review Commissioner (PIRC), Kate Frame.
The PIRC team will then decide whether to carry out their own investigation into what happened. Recommendations could be made to Police Scotland to prevent a recurrence of the incident.
The north’s divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Julian Innes said: “It is standard procedure when dealing with this sort of incident to refer it to the PIRC who will then take a view about whether to investigate.
“I have every confidence in the way the officer conducted his business that day.”
A police spokesman confirmed that the officer who was assaulted was alone at the time of the incident.
He added: “As a matter of procedure with an incident of this nature, it will be reported to the PIRC.”
A spokeswoman for the commissioner said: “We are aware of the incident but cannot confirm whether or not it will be referred to the commissioner.
“It is still being looked at.”