Two men accused of assaulting a police officer now face more serious charges of threatening to kill him.
The 29-year-old officer suffered injuries to his head, neck and ribs in the Hawke's Bay town of Wairoa in one of three attacks on Boxing Day.
The officer had been placing a driver and a passenger under arrest when they started punching and kicking him, police say.
Residents rushed to restrain the driver and helped police track down the other man who had fled.
Two men, aged 25 and 26, re-appeared in the Gisborne District Court on Thursday facing additional charges of threatening to kill and cause grievous bodily harm, and aggravated burglary.
The pair were originally charged with assault, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and aggravated injury.
