KEY POINTS:
A promising amateur New Zealand golfer has been killed in a police car crash in Dubai, reportedly after fighting with the driver.
Aaron Nicholas Mahoney, 24, of Christchurch, was killed when the police car he was held in crashed and overturned.
The Khaleej Times reported that Mahoney was picked up by police after being drunk outside the Al Majara Tower in Dubai Marina. He was apparently misbehaving with staff at the tower when police were tipped off. "On seeing the policemen, the man [Mahoney] attacked them, and it was after a lot of struggle that they were able to arrest him. The accused was handcuffed and put in a vehicle..." according to a police source quoted by the Khaleej Times.
The paper reported that Mahoney tried to strangle the driver of the police car, Hassan Abbas.
The other policeman, Mohammed Jassem, tried to restrain him, but the car went out of control, hit another car and flipped. Mahoney was killed instantly, and one of the policemen suffered serious injuries.
The news has left Mahoney's family in shock. His father Paul, a former professional golfer who owns mini-putt courses around the country, told the Herald on Sunday last night that his son's death was traumatic. "We are just coming to grips with it. I just want to get my son home now. If we can get him home, we will be a lot better. He was doing what he loved - he was doing well, he was training with some of the best European players. If there's a positive coming out of the whole thing, that's it."
Aaron went to Dubai to be part of a golfing academy with Melbourne pro Ramsay McMasters.
He had been there for two days before the accident happened. Paul said McMasters told him Aaron was "just fizzing" with everything he was learning in Dubai.
"He was just getting to the next level." Paul said the family still didn't know exactly what happened.
"It's always one-sided when there's policemen involved. They've got different laws and rules, and you've got to abide by them. Aaron's probably to blame for a lot of what happened, but who knows what went on?"
Paul said Aaron was a promising golfer who was set for a great career. He won three New Zealand regional titles, including the North Island Under-19 Amateur Championship in 2001. He played for the Russley Club in Christchurch but spent most of the past two years in Melbourne.
He narrowly missed out on qualifying for the last New Zealand Open.
In New Zealand, golfing friends of Mahoney were very upset by his death. "It's a shock - he went over there to have a good time, and then this happens. He was a fun-loving, outgoing guy. He would have a laugh with anyone," said Andrew Searle, a fellow Russley member.
Searle said Mahoney wanted to build a mini-putt in Brisbane and wanted to qualify for the Australian Amateur Championships in March.
Another friend, David Rattray, said Mahoney was great fun and a freakish player. "He was a pretty carefree guy. He was always up for anything when he was in town.
"He had untapped potential. He could just go on fire sometimes. I remember one night Aaron shot seven or eight under par for 10 holes. It was freaky to watch. That was just the way he played."
