Auckland police incident: Cop car rammed in downtown drama

A motorist driving the wrong way down Auckland’s Quay St tried to run over a member of the public and later rammed a police car.

A witness has described seeing a driver in a blue car being chased by a police officer – on foot – near Princes Wharf.

The witness, who asked only to be named as Paul, said the officer had parked his police vehicle diagonally in a bid to block the blue car from leaving the Princes Wharf area.

The officer was outside his vehicle and yelling to the driver in the blue car to stop.

But instead of stopping the blue vehicle mounted the footpath to the entrance of Princes Wharf and took off up towards Hobson St.

“We thought that was it, but then [the driver] did a U-turn and drives into the driver’s side of the police car – where the police officer had just got back in.

“He took a massive hit.”

Paul said immediately after the police vehicle was rammed, the driver of the blue car got out and appeared to crouch down behind the car.

“People [in the area] all ran away then.”

Paul said he thought it was because it looked as if the driver was crouching down to pick something up.

The police officer, he said, managed to open the rammed-in door of his police vehicle and run towards the other side.

Police said a woman was arrested without incident at the scene and will now face charges.

Inspector Peter Raynes said police were called to a report that a vehicle was driving the wrong way in Quay St, near Princes Wharf, at 8.04am.

“The same vehicle allegedly tried to run over a member of the public.

“Police staff have quickly attended and have been on foot attempting to get the woman to get out of her vehicle, when she has driven off, done a U-turn and then driven back and deliberately run into the stationary police vehicle.”

St John confirmed an ambulance crew was sent to the scene and treated one person with minor injuries.

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