A man runs from police after an officer collapses to the ground after accidentally pepper-spraying himself. Photo / Supplied
A man runs from police after an officer collapses to the ground after accidentally pepper-spraying himself. Photo / Supplied
An "extremely dangerous" man attempted to hijack a woman's car minutes after he escaped police when officers accidentally pepper-sprayed themselves before he was eventually detained.
Police were called to Te Rapa New World in Hamilton about 3pm yesterday and two officers tried to detain a man inside.
He resisted andone officer then employed a gel tactical spray - commonly known as pepper-spray - on the man in an attempt to detain him.
Not only was this unsuccessful, but the officer was also hit by the spray.
The man then ran out of the supermarket, with the other officer giving chase.
While trying to apprehend the man outside, the second officer attempted to spray the man but it was again ineffective and the officer also suffered "blow-back" from it.
Local Tejinder Pal Singh, who filmed the incident as it unfolded, said a supermarket employee assisted a police officer in arresting a man.
"After that I heard the officer scream very loudly, so I stopped filming and the man ran away," Singh said.
"The officer involved was knocked unconscious during this incident, and is now off work recovering. She is being well supported by her colleagues," police said in a statement this week.
