A psychiatric assessment has been ordered for a Whakatane man arrested after a car chase that ended with a police car going through a service station window on Thursday.
The 34-year-old man, whose name is suppressed, appeared before Judge Rollo in the Whakatane District Court yesterday charged with driving while disqualified, reckless driving, assault using a motor vehicle as a weapon, two charges of wilful destruction, failure to stop when asked and failure to stop.
The man was remanded in custody, without plea, until March 28 for a psychiatric assessment to be completed.
Police allege the man rammed a police car into the Shell Service station on the corner of King Street and Domain Roads in Kopeopeo after leading them at high speeds through the Whakatane suburb.
No-one was injured in the accident but one police vehicle was written off and two vehicles owned by the public were severely damaged.
- DAILY POST (ROTORUA)
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Latest from New Zealand
Police announced $100k reward in unsolved disappearance
Police are focusing their investigation on a small group as part of the cold case.