Car-crash victim attacked in back of ambulance

Police working at the scene of an accident early yesterday had to intervene when a group of young people started pushing officers and tried to assault a patient in an ambulance.

Auckland emergency service workers had been called after a car hit a pole near the Te Atatu offramp from the Northwestern Motorway.

While police were dealing with victims, three men turned up and started causing problems. At least one is believed to have climbed into the back of an ambulance and tried to assault the car's injured driver. Police had to remove the aggressor from the ambulance.

The group also reportedly abused members of the public and smashed the windscreen of a passing car.

Police spokesman Jayson Rhodes said officers faced a bit of "pushing and shoving".

Three West Auckland men have been arrested on assault-related charges.

The incident followed a busy night for police in the top half of the North Island.

Inspector Kerry Watson said that between 9pm on Saturday and 1am yesterday, police north of Turangi received 111 reports of disorderly incidents and attended 51 domestic violence complaints.

They also had several firearm-related jobs, including a taxi driver being shot in Sunnyvale.

A man has been arrested in connection with that shooting.