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Home / New Zealand

Lower Hutt man David Kerr admits ramming attack that injured five police officers

Melissa Nightingale
Melissa Nightingale
Senior Reporter, NZ Herald - Wellington·NZ Herald·
8 Oct, 2025 03:35 AM3 mins to read

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Three police vehicles were significantly damaged by David Kerr. Photo / Hayden Woodward, file

Three police vehicles were significantly damaged by David Kerr. Photo / Hayden Woodward, file

A man who injured five police officers and damaged three police cars in a ramming attack while driving with a child has pleaded guilty to the dramatic offending.

Police officers had to leap out of the way as 47-year-old David Kerr drove into their cars at speed on April 1.

The offending began about 5.30pm when Kerr was walking down a Lower Hutt street holding the arm of a child.

A passing motorist stopped and spoke to Kerr about the way he was treating the child. Kerr became angry, throwing an apple at the woman’s car, slapping the window and kicking the door, the summary of facts said.

The woman, fearing for her safety, left the scene and called police.

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Officers approached Kerr’s address, and he sped out of his driveway in a car, travelling towards Oxford Tce.

Police activated lights and sirens, but Kerr was driving about 80km/h in a 50km/h zone, so the pursuit was abandoned.

An officer watched Kerr’s vehicle spin around, swerving across the road, then return, driving back towards the patrol car at high speed.

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The officer was in the front of the car while another officer was outside the vehicle, preparing to deploy road spikes.

Kerr yelled “f*** you” at the officer in the car as he slammed his own vehicle into the patrol car’s front right side, causing extensive damage and immobilising the police vehicle. The officer hit her head in the impact and the other officer was knocked to the ground, suffering bruises and grazing.

Kerr drove away before returning for another hit.

A third officer drove his car in the way to block Kerr from hitting the first two officers again.

Kerr drove into his vehicle too, “damaging it to the point it was smoking and undriveable”, the summary said.

Kerr drove off, driving at speed into the patrol car of two more officers who had blocked the northern end of the road.

“The defendant drove into the patrol car, causing the constables to run and jump out of the way.”

This third ramming immobilised Kerr’s car, and he was caught.

“The victims were all emotionally and psychologically injured,” the summary said.

The incident came just months after the high-profile killing of Senior Sergeant Lyn Fleming, who died on New Year’s Day after being rammed while doing foot patrols in Nelson.

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Motueka man Hayden Donald Jason Tasker has denied charges of murder and attempted murder, among others, in relation to that incident.

Kerr’s offending earned him charges of aggravated assault with a weapon, failing to stop, assault with a blunt instrument, disorderly behaviour, driving with excess breath alcohol, resisting police, and careless and reckless driving.

He pleaded guilty to the charges in court today.

While the summary of facts does not mention the child in the car, police told media at the time of the offending that the child had been in the vehicle.

Kerr will be sentenced at the end of November.

Wellington district commander Superintendent Corrie Parnell said at the time of the incident: “I am incredibly proud of the work from our staff in this quick-moving event where a vehicle was used as a weapon against police, creating a massive risk to the safety of everybody involved”.

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“Our staff go to work every day to help make our communities safer, and behaviour such as this where police staff and vehicles are targeted is unacceptable.”

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.

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