Cars involved in the "Levin invasion" boy racer meet last Friday have been listed for sale on Facebook after being impounded.
Cars involved in the "Levin invasion" boy racer meet last Friday have been listed for sale on Facebook after being impounded.
Multiple cars involved in last week’s “Levin invasion” boy racer meet have been listed for sale online - but buyers will need to wait 28 days for the vehicles to be released from impoundment.
Numerous listings appeared on Facebook Marketplace after the dramatic car enthusiast gathering in Horowhenua, in whichfireworks were shot at police, multiple people were hit by cars or run over, and officers had to fire sponge rounds into the crowd to clear a way for paramedics.
Seven people - including two police officers - were injured, a woman’s legs were run over, and diesel was poured on the street and set alight during several incidents related to the meet on Friday night.
The Ford Falcon was listed for $750, requesting a cash sale in exchange for impound papers. The car required a $500 impound fee upon release on June 28, the listing said.
The listing owner told the Herald her partner used the car for skids and now couldn’t be bothered waiting for it to be released from impound, “so he’d rather sell it cheap to someone who may use it or need it, as this car was basically full legal aside [from] cut springs”.
Cars involved in the "Levin invasion" boy racer meet on Friday have been listed for sale on Facebook after being impounded.
She and her partner attended the meet on Friday night and the car was tracked to a mate’s house by the Eagle helicopter, with officers showing up two minutes after the car was taken there.
“My partner is a very honest person so he gave it up straight away as he only wanted to do one skid.”
He was arrested and now must go to court, she said.
“He’s not worried about it, a bit upset about his decision to skid at the event, however, but not worried about losing it as we work full time and have multiple cars which are legal. This one was just a fun weekend car, really.”
She said they had made “a lot of very sincere apologies” since attending the event and didn’t expect her partner to attend meets “anytime soon”.
“I think he’ll stick to racing his cars on the track after last weekend’s event. We are very sorry to all NZ police for wasting their time and resources, however he only done a small skid and didn’t mean for it to get taken this far at all.”
One car is listed as a sale for impound papers.
The woman noted her partner had tried opening a skid pad on a friend’s farm but did not get approval for health and safety reasons.
“After this weekend I don’t think he wants to put his skid cars on private roads or public anymore, I think he wants to keep the ones he has and stick to the track days.
“It was a super fun event, however, but really silly behaviour from a lot of people.”
She said the meet was a fun experience, but people getting injured was not part of the fun. She also felt the police “came in way too hot”, but considered the night as good overall.
Another young man who has listed his car for sale said he attended what he called the “Levin invasion” and was also arrested after being tracked to another location.
The 18-year-old said while he had listed his car he was only going to sell it if someone made an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“My car is currently in impound for 28 days . . . better than the crusher,” he said.
The teen, who will go through court on charges related to the meet, said listing the car was an opportunity to “clean myself up a bit”.
He felt the night went “better than expected” in terms of “getting the message out”, the message being “we’re here, you’re not going to stop us.”
He called out some of the behaviour on the night from spectators, such as people walking up close to cars as they did burnouts.
“If you get hit by a car, you’re obviously somewhere you shouldn’t be,” he said. “Get back or get smacked.
A boy racer meet in and around Levin led to people being struck by cars, injured police, arrests, damage and disorder, including one group setting fire to the road outside a Mobil petrol station.
“That’s what causes most of the injuries, you know, people thinking they’re more onto it than they actually are.”
The teen said the night might have pushed “quite a few” people away from attending future meets, but others might feel inspired to “go harder, just not get caught”.
A police spokeswoman said nine vehicles were impounded on the night and 15 people have been arrested. The number of infringements is still be collated.
“Police have initiated an investigation phase and it is likely there will be more charges and possible impounds of vehicles to come,” she said.
She said anyone buying one of the cars on Marketplace should remember they were responsible for checking the quality and suitability of what they were buying before paying.
“We would encourage anyone considering buying a car - or anything else - on Marketplace to do their due diligence.”
Melissa Nightingale is a Wellington-based reporter who covers crime, justice and news in the capital. She joined the Herald in 2016 and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.
