State police arrested Mugil Malai, 28, of Westford, Massachusetts on Thursday at 12:30 a.m. after an altercation on the side of I-93 northbound in Concord.

The police received reports of a potentially broken-down vehicle pulled over on the left side of the highway without any lights on. When state trooper Peter Kosakowski got to the scene, he tried speaking to Malai, who was sitting inside a 2011 Honda Civic with the driver’s side door open. According to a press release issued by the state’s Department of Safety, Malai “immediately closed and locked the door” before trying and failing to start his car.

“Malai then got out of the Honda, charged and struck Trooper Kosakowski in the head,” the press release said. “Trooper Morgan Butcher, who had arrived on the scene to assist, was also struck by Malai.”

The police troopers then took Malai into custody. He was held at the Merrimack County Jail under preventative detention pending an arraignment scheduled in Concord District Court, according to the Department of Safety. Malai faces charges of assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest.

Both Kosakowski and Butcher went to Concord Hospital for treatment of minor injuries before being released.