Northland police arrest gang member for dangerous driving after alleged near miss

A patched Barbarian Stormtrooper narrowly avoided crashing into a police car while allegedly travelling on the wrong side of the road in Northland on Tuesday. Photo / NZME

A gang member has been charged with dangerous driving after allegedly travelling on the wrong side of the road and almost colliding with a police car.

Mid-North area response manager Senior Sergeant Mark Barratt said two police vehicles were travelling along Ruapekapeka Rd near Kawakawa about 3pm on Tuesday.

A small hatchback appeared, allegedly travelling at speed.

The car was on the wrong side of the road, Barratt said, and narrowly avoided hitting a police vehicle.

Staff radioed in the job and turned around to catch up with the hatchback.

Barratt said when they caught up with the alleged offenders, a traffic stop was carried out and two occupants were taken into custody.

“The driver was established to be a 50-year-old patched Barbarian Stormtrooper,” Barratt said.

The man was charged with dangerous driving and was due to appear in Whangārei District Court on Wednesday.

“It’s fortunate our staff were not caught up in this man’s frankly dangerous behaviour and they were able to catch up with him,” Barratt said.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.