An Ann Arbor man who was tasered by Pittsfield Township police after authorities say he advanced toward an officer while holding a tire iron and deliberately backed his vehicle into a patrol car has been criminally charged.

Zehua Zhu, 45, faces charges of malicious destruction of fire or police property, fourth-degree fleeing a police officer and two counts of assaulting, resisting or obstructing a police officer.

Zhu is scheduled to be arraigned today.

Officers were dispatched to the 4500 block of Washtenaw Avenue at 6:37 p.m. Dec. 31 after a caller reported seeing a man swinging an object at passing vehicles.

When officers arrived, the man was standing outside an Ann Arbor Transportation Authority bus yelling for the bus driver to open the door, reports said. The man was holding a silver object in his right hand and a mailbox in his left hand, police said.

The officer ordered the man to drop the objects, and he began walking toward the officer, reports said. The officer prepared to Taser the man, but he turned around, returned to his vehicle on Washtenaw Avenue and drove away, reports said.

Officers followed the man's car as he drove behind a business, and they blocked his car in, reports said. Police ordered him to drop the tire iron and turn his car off, but he instead backed his vehicle into one of the police cars, reports said.

Officers were able to open the man's car door and Taser him, then grab the tire iron, reports said. The man was removed from the car and was taken into custody before being sent for a psychological exam.

Police said damage to the patrol car was minimal.

Heather Lockwood is a reporter for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at heatherlockwood@annarbor.com or follow her on Twitter.