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Watch: Four police cars damaged in 'hostile, violent' car event

Author
Rachel Maher,
Publish Date
Sun, 18 Aug 2024, 9:28am

Watch: Four police cars damaged in 'hostile, violent' car event

Author
Rachel Maher,
Publish Date
Sun, 18 Aug 2024, 9:28am

Police have released photos of the ute that damaged a police car when it rammed into them during a Hamilton 鈥渂oy-racer鈥 event.

Three other police cars were damaged by the large crowd that police have described as 鈥渉ostile and violent鈥.

Footage has emerged of a ute reversing at speed into the back of a police car before speeding off.

The event, dubbed the 鈥淗amilton invasion鈥, encouraged car enthusiasts to gather at various locations in the Waikato city last night to drift illegally.

Inspector Neil Faulkner said police initially received reports of a 鈥渓arge gathering of cars鈥 at the intersection of Horotiu Road and Great South Rd, at about 2.15am.

鈥淎ttending staff initially dispersed the crowds and the vehicles moved on to converge near the Base in Northgate.鈥

Faulkner said the crowd became 鈥渉ostile鈥 towards police and officers were put at 鈥渟erious risk鈥 by the crowd due to the increasingly violent behaviour.

鈥淚n one instance, a vehicle allegedly reversed at speed towards a police car, which staff were standing in front of.

Police have released images of the ute involved, with the two people inside the vehicle.

鈥淭he behaviour towards police was dangerous and it was fortunate that no staff or other members of the public were injured.

鈥淒ashcam and video footage of the activity would also assist ongoing inquiries and those in possession of any footage are asked to provide that to police.鈥

Videos have been posted online, including one that captured the moment a white flat-deck ute rammed into the back of a police car.

The video then shows a police officer running up to the passenger side window and striking it.

Footage has emerged online of a ute ramming a police car during a boy-racer meet-up in Hamilton.
Footage has emerged online of a ute ramming a police car during a boy-racer meet-up in Hamilton.

The act was met with shock and cheers from the disorderly crowd as the ute sped away.

An alleged organiser of the meet-up reposted the video to social media and said he 鈥渉oped the [officers] got whiplash鈥.

鈥淸They] spent the whole night man-handling people out of their cars for not having the right licence or not wearing seatbelts,鈥 the person claimed.

A police officer appears to punch the passenger side window of the car after the act.
A police officer appears to punch the passenger side window of the car after the act.

Footage posted to social media showed hundreds of participants and multiple police cars and officers attempting to shut the event down.

Organisers encouraged participants to hold their ground, claiming the police could 鈥渘ot move them on鈥.

Earlier this year, police were also met with violence at a Levin boy-racer event.

In June, two police officers suffered injuries after they were pelted with rocks and bottles while attending the scene of a large car meet.

About 30 police officers, armed with riot shields, were on the scene where more than 200 cars and their occupants had gathered.

Attendees themselves were also injured, with at least one man getting hit by a car as it did a burnout while others set off firecrackers.

Police are cracking down on anti-social gatherings, such as the one that saw hundreds of cars gather around Levin in June. Photo / NZ Police
Police are cracking down on anti-social gatherings, such as the one that saw hundreds of cars gather around Levin in June. Photo / NZ Police

The organiser of the Levin event told 1九一星空无限 at Six the boy racers were 鈥渉ere to stay鈥 and told Levin residents: 鈥渨atch out for your intersections because we鈥檙e coming back鈥.

At the time, Police Minister Mark Mitchell said he planned to raise the possibility of introducing legislation about impounding cars with the Minister of Transport. Mitchell believed current legislation allowed seized cars to be returned after some time.

鈥淚 want to seize the vehicles and keep them,鈥 Mitchell said.

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