An officer was authorized to fire three shots at a man who drove towards him in his red Holden Commodore, the police have decided.
File image of a New Zealand police car. Source: 1 NEWS
The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) said the officer had tried to protect himself from being run over by the vehicle less than two meters away.
It found how the man named “Mr X” shot a person on Northcotes Potter Ave on January 31, 2019.
The shots were fired in the air and over the head of the person.
Mr X was followed, but not followed, by a number of police vehicles as he drove south and then west towards Pt Chevalier at a speed of 150 to 170 kilometers per hour.
During this time he was driving on the wrong side of the road or using the emergency lane to overtake other vehicles.
He returned to Northcote, where he tossed the air pistol and two magazines out the window and was now driving 50 mph in a 50 mph zone.
Police continued to pursue Mr. X while driving south on the freeway towards South Auckland, where he continued to drive “like a maniac,” as one officer later recalled.
After three failed attempts to block the Holden and stop the man, Mr X was eventually driven off the road after the officer shot his vehicle.
Mr X complained to the IPCA about police actions during his arrest that day, claiming that he was attacked and verbally abused.
IPCA presiding judge Colin Doherty noted, “Mr. X’s complaints about attacks and abuse are unfounded or can be explained.”
Waitematā district commander Naila Hassan said the police fully supported the IPCA’s findings that the officer was justified in his actions.
“This was an extremely volatile and dangerous situation where we had a person who was known to be using a gun in front of the police, and he posed an extreme risk to the public on our streets.
“This underscores the quick and often dangerous nature of policing. Our employees go to work every day to keep the public safe and often put themselves at risk. “
Mr. X was charged in connection with the incident and sentenced to two years and three months in prison in October 2019.
