A man is facing five charges after allegedly attacking and chasing a woman who was walking in a North Auckland suburb yesterday morning.
Police said the woman was walking on D'oyly Drive in Stanmore Bay at 5.24am when a man "deliberately crossed the road" and approached her.
He allegedly grabbed the woman's arms "without warning", holding her "firmly" and stopping her from getting away.
“The victim was trying to pull free and put some distance between them," Acting Detective Senior Sergeant Jimmy Kim said.
“Throughout the struggle, the alleged offender was yelling at her, but she couldn’t hear what he was saying due to having her earpods in.”
The woman managed to break free and ran away, and the man chased her as she tried to escape.
“The victim was able to use a parked car as a barrier,” Kim said.
Members of the public driving on the road witnessed the incident and pulled over to help the woman.
The alleged offender fled the area.
Later that morning, officers spotted a man matching the description the victim gave.
“Upon seeing police, this man ducked down the nearest driveway in an attempt to evade officers," Kim said.
Police said the man had no reason to be at the property and was taken into custody "after a short struggle".
A 40-year-old man was charged with assault with intent to injure, unlawfully being in an enclosed yard, resisting police, assaulting a first responder, and possessing utensils for methamphetamine.
He will appear in the North Shore District Court today.
“This was good work by staff who spotted this man while conducting enquiries into the incident that morning,” Kim said.
“Officers were in the right place at the right time when this man returned to the scene of his alleged earlier crime.
“This was no doubt a terrifying incident for the victim, and I am pleased that we were able to quickly locate and arrest the alleged offender.”
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