A woman was crushed between two cars while a police car was damaged in various incidents involving groups of Taranaki boy racing drivers.
Inspector Darin Haenga, acting area commander of Taranaki, said the incidents left police “extremely frustrated and concerned about the callous behavior of the people” at the “car show” in New Plymouth last night.
Hundreds of people violated Covid-19 warning level 2l terms by descending on Connett Rd and De Havilland Drive just before 10 p.m., with some slipping and burning out.
At 10:30 p.m., a burnout car lost control and collided with a parked vehicle, colliding a woman next to the parked car and crushing her between two vehicles.
The woman was transported to Taranaki Base Hospital, where she is in stable condition.
An 18-year-old man from Inglewood was charged with persistent loss of traction in connection with the incident and was due to appear in New Plymouth District Court on November 6.
Police are not ruling out further charges and want to hear from anyone who may have video footage of the crash and what happened before it.
Police were aware of the event after it was broadcast on social media during the week and although officers spoke to organizers about concerns, they continued “disappointingly” anyway.
Half an hour later, officials were called to an accident on Centennial Drive – after a vehicle that was not involved in the “car show” skidding on diesel that the attendees poured onto the street and a parked car collided.
The driver escaped injury, but a police officer’s squad car responding to the accident was surrounded by the group that had moved to Centennial Dr from the boys ‘drivers’ meeting on Connett Road.
One man jumped on the hood of the patrol car and smashed the windshield while others threw bottles and cans, smashed the rear window and also damaged the body of the car.
The officer was very lucky not to be seriously injured, Haenga said.
“The police are aware that there will have been participants in this ‘car event’ who are just as appalled as we are by the appalling behavior of those involved in these incidents and other unsafe driving practices at night.
“We ask them to do the right thing and to contact us to provide information, including video, that can help us identify those responsible.”
Haenga asked anyone who had information or footage of the incidents to contact the police.
