Woman's car hijacked by man fleeing police after officers pepper-spray themselves

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 and one 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.

"I wanted to chase after him but I was afraid,"

A woman was driving out of a nearby the Gull petrol station at the time the man was fleeing police.

Motioning to stop the driver, the man then attempted to hijack her vehicle before police intervened.

"I thought he was waving to me to say sorry for being in my way but then he's ripping my door open," the woman said.

"He opened my door and asked for a ride to town and told he had a fight.

"I told him I was going the opposite direction and before I could answer him entirely, he hopped in my car and was threatening me to drive him.

"The police from behind my car started yelling 'get out ... get on the ground' and were pointing a Taser at us."

A man runs from police after an officer collapses to the ground after accidentally pepper-spraying himself. Photo / Supplied

She said the man resisted arrest before he was restrained by three officers.

"[The officers] asked me if I knew [the man], I told them, 'No, I have no idea who he is'.

"They told me he was extremely dangerous."

Shaken by the incident, the woman said she was in contact with Victim Support.

"I am extremely traumatised."

A police spokesperson said a 48-year-old man was expected to face charges including assaulting police and resisting officers.

The incident followed a female police officer being knocked unconscious in a vicious attack in Auckland earlier this week that was caught on video by a shocked bystander.

The incident took place on the corner of Great South and Station Rds on Monday at 12.17pm.

The man was tasered after fleeing from police on foot and assaulting the officer.

"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.