Northland cops tell jury about pursuing a fleeing driver where shots were fired from car

Two Northlanders on trial in the High Court at Whangārei are being accused of fleeing from police and being in possession of drugs. Photo / NZME

A fleeing driver fired two shots in the air during a pursuit and would not stop even after coming to a sand track along Ninety Mile Beach before the chase was abandoned, two police officers told a jury.

Heta Brass, also known as Heta Lloyd, and Stacey Leah Walker-Haturini, pleaded not guilty in the High Court at Whangārei when their trial started on Wednesday

to a raft of charges after their arrest nearly three years ago.

The charges stem from a police pursuit from Awanui and continued through Te Hiku Forest and on to Ninety Mile Beach just after 9pm on July 25, 2018.

Brass is facing two charges of using a firearm against a law enforcement officer, and single charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, driving while disqualified, driving dangerously, and failing to stop.

Walker-Haturini is charged with unlawful possession of explosives, unlawful possession of an offensive a weapon, possession of a Class C controlled drug, and possession of a utensil for methamphetamine.

Constable Andrew Duff, a field training officer who was posted to Kaitaia for one week from the Police Training College, was the front seat passenger in the patrol car that pursed a Falcon car that night.

Detective Christian Linder was the driver.

Duff said they were doing patrols when the Falcon vehicle drove past the patrol car, heading north.

The male driver, he said, sped up after seeing police and overtook another vehicle without indicating, just after 9pm.

Red/blue flashing lights were switched on and the vehicle was pursued along the 50km/h zone, then on to 100km/h speed area for quite a while, he said.

When both cars got on to a gravel road, Duff said he saw the driver reach out for something from inside the car, pull out a firearm from his side of the window, and fire a shot straight up in the air.

The shot was quite audible and suggested the firearm used was a high calibre one, he said.

Duff said the male driver fired another shot in the air along a beach access road before he and Linder were told over the radio to abandon the pursuit.

The pursuit lasted 34 minutes.

Brass' lawyer Sumudu Thode asked Duff whether he noticed anything on the arm of the male driver who fired the shots so as to identify him.

Duff replied he didn't, and neither did he see any others in the car being pursued.

The trial before Justice Grant Powell continues.