Man assaults officer after driving erratically through Auckland’s Mission Bay

Police eagle helicopter lands at Mission Bay, Auckland, to assist with the arrest of a man who assaulted a police officer after driving erratically down Tamaki Drive. Photo / Simone Rink

A 27-year-old man will face several charges in court on Monday after driving erratically through Auckland’s Mission Bay area before assaulting a police officer.

A police spokesperson said police received reports of a man driving erratically and yelling at members of the public just before 2.40pm on Sunday in the Tāmaki Drive area.

The vehicle was tracked to Mission Bay, where the 27-year-old man had parked the car in the middle of the road on Tāmaki Drive.

A lone officer attempted to take the man’s keys and detain him, however, the man resisted arrest.

A local caught up in the traffic caused by the incident told the Herald she felt sorry for the lone female officer left to try to detain the man who refused to leave his car.

“She was giving it her all,” the witness said.

“Power to her, she was trying so hard to get him out, he was obviously resisting,

“I didn’t know how she was going to cope trying to get that guy out by herself.”

The Eagle helicopter was used to bring in two other officers to assist with restraining the man before he was taken into custody.

The man is due to appear in Auckland District Court on Monday and is facng multiple charges, including dangerous driving, resisting police, assaulting police, and failing to stop or ascertain injury in a non-injury crash.