Police are reviewing the arrest of a teenage boy in Whangamatā after he was left with a broken wrist.
Tanielu Fatupaito, 16, was with a friend in the back seat of a vehicle when it was stopped by police on New Year's Eve.
The adult driver, who did not wish to be identified, told 1News the police’s attitude changed when they saw another adult wearing a gang patch.
"They just pull us out of the car, separate us by a few metres each. There’s been about 10 officers and there’s four of us," he said.
The incident, which was filmed, shows police speaking to the group about an alcohol ban in the area.
An officer can then be seen moving, apparently to take the teenager’s arm.
A brief scuffle ensues.
While what happened after the altercation isn’t filmed, Tanielu claims he was forced to the ground before being slammed into a police van.
His right wrist was left swollen and out of shape, with a medical note describing the injury as a radius fracture.
"I think I shouldn’t really be in this position at the moment," the student said.
"I just wanted to enjoy New Year’s since I had a good year with my friends."
Justice reform group JustSpeak condemned the police's actions.
"It is likely that because it was a vehicle that was associated with the Mongrel Mob that they were subject to a higher degree of profiling and surveillance and that is completely, again, unjustifiable," JustSpeak executive director Aphiphany Forward-Taua said.
Tanielu is the son of the Mongrel Mob’s Waikato leader. It’s unknown if police were aware of the connection, however.
In their first statement to 1News, police emphatically rejected any allegation of using force. In a second statement, issued several hours later, police said further inquiries have been made.
Police say a review will be carried out into the arrest to determine what has occurred.
“No one was charged with anything. We were just let go,” the driver said.
Tanielu says police have since asked him for a statement.
His whānau are now seeking legal advice.
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