AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd scuffles with witness on the street ahead of murder-plot trial

Troubled AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd was detained by New Zealand police yesterday after getting into a scuffle with a witness in his pending court case, but was released again on bail without facing further charges.

Rudd's lawyer Paul Mabey said Rudd appeared in court in his home town of Tauranga, accused of breaching his bail conditions by associating with a witness. Mabey said it was a "chance meeting" that developed into a scuffle.

Last month, police charged the 60-year-old drummer with threatening to kill as well as possessing methamphetamine and marijuana. He has pleaded not guilty and faces a judge-only trial early next year.

Columbus Coffee cafe owner Leo Rojas said he witnessed Rudd curse and try to punch a larger man on the sidewalk outside the cafe. He said Rudd was much shorter and skinnier than the larger man, who twice pushed Rudd to the ground.

"It was like a chihuahua trying to fight a big dog," Rojas said, adding that Rudd was a regular customer at the butcher shop next to his cafe.

Rojas said he saw Rudd trying to throw punches at the larger man but Rudd's bodyguard intervened, trying to separate them. He said the larger man at first appeared to be trying to walk away before he lost his temper and pushed Rudd down onto the footpath.