A driver has been charged after allegedly attempting to ram a police patrol car multiple times while fleeing police in Auckland's Mt Albert over the weekend.
Around 8.15pm on Sunday, police spotted a Subaru vehicle speeding along Mt Albert Rd.
As officers approached, the driver allegedly attempted to evade police by switching the vehicle's lights off and travelling down a side street, Inspector Jacqui Whittaker said.
A patrol car behind the vehicle signalled for the driver to stop.
"The driver ignored instruction, conducted a U-turn, and allegedly attempted to ram the patrol car," Whittaker said.
"This manoeuvre was allegedly performed multiple times before the driver fled down a residential street."
The police vehicle was not struck and the officer involved was not injured, she said.
"Units soon sighted the Subaru nearby; however, the driver took off at speed on the wrong side of the road."
The driver was followed by the police Eagle helicopter as it travelled to Belcher St in Sandringham, where he was apprehended.
The man had multiple warrants for his arrest, Whittaker said.
"This offender's reckless actions put police and members of the public at serious risk.
“The driving exhibited would have been concerning for other motorists who witnessed it, and we want to reassure them that this behaviour will not be tolerated."
A 39-year-old man is due to appear in the Auckland District Court today charged with operating a motor vehicle recklessly; aggravated failure to stop; two counts of assaulting a first responder; and two counts of resisting police.
SHARE ME