Police pursued a fleeing driver on Charles St, Kamo, in the early hours of Thursday morning. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Police pursued a fleeing driver on Charles St, Kamo, in the early hours of Thursday morning. Photo / Michael Cunningham
A firearm, machetes, and a man allegedly armed with a broomstick formed an eventful night for Whangārei police.
The first incident unfolded in Tikipunga shortly before midnight on Wednesday, when a brawl reportedly involving weapons broke out between five people on Paramount Parade.
Witnesses reported seeing both a machete anda firearm as the confrontation escalated in public view out on the street.
A police spokesman said officers later located a firearm linked to the incident.
It was unclear whether shots had been fired but the spokesman said police had received reports which claimed the firearm had been discharged.
He said a woman was taken to Whangārei Hospital with injuries that were not serious following her attempts to intervene in the fight.
No arrests had yet been made in connection to the altercation.
A separate incident that played out less than four hours later saw a police dog unit pursue a fleeing driver through the streets of Kamo around 3.15am on Thursday.
Full details about what triggered the pursuit started on Charles St were yet to be revealed.
During the chase, the driver left his vehicle and entered a nearby property where he barricaded himself in a bedroom of the home.
Officers forced their way into the property as part of their efforts to apprehend the man.
During which, the man reportedly armed with a broomstick has come at the officers.
As the situation intensified, the spokesman said officers deployed pepper spray and a taser.
The man fell to the ground only to get back up again when the wires on the taser broke due to the distance they had stretched over.
The police spokesman said tasers can only be deployed once.
Despite the broken wires, the man was eventually arrested and was expected to appear in the Whangārei District Court today on multiple charges that included failing to stop, driving in a dangerous manner, and assaults police with weapon.
