A man was arrested and charged yesterday after attempting to evade a police checkpoint in South Auckland that was set when city went into Alert Level 3 restrictions.
The driver was travelling on State Highway 1, northbound at Bombay, when he attempted to bypass police by driving down the truck bypass lane, Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers said today in a statement.
A short pursuit was initiated but then abandoned due to the dangerous manner of driving.
The police Eagle helicopter located the vehicle at an address in Drury and the man was taken into custody without incident, Mr Chambers said.
It is the first arrest since Level 3 lockdown restrictions came into force last Wednesday
The 58-year-old is set to appear in the Manukau District Court on August 31 on a number of charges.
It comes after police yesterday introduced three additional police checkpoints in South Auckland, bringing the total number of checkpoints in the region to 13.
Police have stopped 69,486 cars entering and exiting Auckland as of 4pm yesterday, of which 2205 vehicles were turned around, Mr Chambers said. Delays are expected during peak hours.
While clear at certain times, the checkpoint at Bombay is among the most congested. (Source: Other)
Police are continuing to carry out road policing activities and reassurance patrols across essential facilities, including supermarkets, pharmacies and Covid-19 testing sites.
Four people have been warned for breaching Level 3 restrictions since they came into force in Auckland on August 12.
In one incident, police received a report after a number of people were seen not social distancing in the St Heliers area shortly before 1pm on Sunday.
Police attended and spoke to people at the beach, who were all in their various bubbles and mainly exercising, and educated them on keeping their distance from others under Alert Level 3 restrictions.
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