An 18-year-old Ōtorohanga man has been arrested after a highly publicised ramming of a police vehicle in Hamilton on Saturday night. Photos of the man and a ute allegedly involved were widely distributed across media after the incident, which happened during a police response to a large gathering of road users. Detective Sergeant Matt Lee said police executed search warrants at two Ōtorohanga properties, and made enquiries in Huntly, where a freshly painted ute believed to have been involved in the ramming was found. The vehicle was seized and taken away for forensic examination. The Otorohanga man is charged with intentional damage causing danger to life, dangerous driving, and receiving stolen property. He was bailed to appear in the Hamilton District Court tomorrow. The Ōtorohanga teenager’s charges relate to one of four incidents in which police vehicles were rammed on Saturday night, Lee said. A police officer was knocked to the ground and was lucky to suffer only minor injuries, he said. Over the course of several hours, police said more than 1000 anti-social road users took part in illegal street racing, before hostile individuals began to throwing projectiles, discharging fireworks and shining lasers at Police. Police impounded five vehicles and issued more than 100 infringements, 20 green stickers and eight pink stickers. Videos of the event assisted in the arrest Lee said.
Photos of the man and a ute allegedly involved were widely distributed across media after the incident, which happened during a police response to a large gathering of road users.
Detective Sergeant Matt Lee said police executed search warrants at two Ōtorohanga properties, and made enquiries in Huntly, where a freshly painted ute believed to have been involved in the ramming was found. The vehicle was seized and taken away for forensic examination.
The Otorohanga man is charged with intentional damage causing danger to life, dangerous driving, and receiving stolen property. He was bailed to appear in the Hamilton District Court tomorrow.
The Ōtorohanga teenager’s charges relate to one of four incidents in which police vehicles were rammed on Saturday night, Lee said.
A police officer was knocked to the ground and was lucky to suffer only minor injuries, he said.
Over the course of several hours, police said more than 1000 anti-social road users took part in illegal street racing, before hostile individuals began to throwing projectiles, discharging fireworks and shining lasers at Police.
Police impounded five vehicles and issued more than 100 infringements, 20 green stickers and eight pink stickers.
Videos of the event assisted in the arrest Lee said.
