A man is听facing serious charges, including allegedly strangling a police dog unconscious and endangering transport, after he led police on听a 鈥渄angerous鈥 chase听from the CBD to St Lukes and back to Parnell, before fleeing on foot when he got his car stuck on train tracks.听
The 31-year-old Whanganui man 鈥 who was earlier disqualified from driving 鈥 will appear in the听Auckland District Court听today facing nine charges including听injuring a police dog听and endangering transport.听
Senior Sergeant Dave Plunkett told the听Herald听the charges came after a 鈥渄angerous 20-minute-long event鈥.听
At 12.10am on Sunday, police signalled a Nissan Cube station wagon to stop on Waterloo Quadrant in Auckland鈥檚 CBD.听
The driver fled.听
The听Herald听understands he entered the Northwestern Motorway at Stanley St in Parnell.听
Police deployed the Eagle helicopter to track the vehicle, which exited the motorway at St Lukes Rd in Mt Albert.听
He turned down a dead-end street and reversed into a parked vehicle as he tried to evade police.听
The Nissan then travelled to St George鈥檚 Rd in Parnell and the driver turned onto the railway tracks.听
He got stuck after about 100m, got out of the car and ran off.听
A police sergeant and dog handler were soon at the scene and confronted the driver.听
A source claimed he 鈥渢ook a swing鈥 at the sergeant and the dog was deployed.听
The man allegedly 鈥渂egan choking it to the point of unconsciousness鈥.听
鈥淭he short-lived but dangerous incident culminated with the dog鈥檚 handler and a sergeant rushing to its aid and freeing it from the alleged offender鈥檚 grip,鈥 said Plunkett.听
The alleged offender was driving a Nissan Cube. Photo / File听
鈥淭he dog regained consciousness in time to help complete the arrest.听
鈥淭he man was taken into custody at the scene and received medical treatment for bites to his leg and arms.听
鈥淭he police dog was taken to the vet to be assessed, but thankfully suffered only minor injuries.鈥听
Plunkett said the incident was still under investigation but the man would appear in court today on including two counts of assaulting police, two counts of resisting police, dangerous driving, failing to stop, injuring a police dog, driving while disqualified and endangering the safety of rail employees and trains within a rail corridor.听
The accused faces up to 14 years in prison on the charge of endangering transport alone.听
Any person who kills, maims, wounds or otherwise injures a police dog can be jailed for up to two years and or fined up to $15,000.听
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