The Independent Police Conduct Authority has ruled an officer used "unjustified and excessive force" during the arrest of a teenager in Auckland last year.
It relates to an incident that happened in the early morning of 29 March, 2021, after the driver of a car failed to stop for police.
Police say the driver was travelling through Auckland at an excessive speed and went through a red light.
They decided not to pursue the car after it failed to stop for them but managed to track its movements with the help of a helicopter and CCTV cameras.
The car was found to have been stolen and was eventually stopped on the motorway at Silverdale after its tyres were spiked.
Six children, aged 12 to 14, were found in the car.
The 13-year-old was taken from the car by an officer, placed on the ground and handcuffed.
During the process, the teenager suffered a cut to his forehead and a broken wrist.
The officer involved said the injuries were caused when he lost physical control of the youth when pulling him from the car, resulting in a heavy fall to the ground and the injuries received.
The IPCA has accepted this explanation but says even disregarding the teenager's injuries, it believes the degree of force used upon the driver was not necessary and unreasonable.
However, the Authority has found the way in which the vehicle was tracked and eventually stopped was appropriate and that there was no evidence the youth had been kicked or stomped on, as had been alleged following the incident.
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