A police car was rammed by a white ute as officers tried to control a large mob of youths at a violent boy-racer meetup in central Hamilton early this morning. Photo / Supplied
A police car was rammed by a white ute as officers tried to control a large mob of youths at a violent boy-racer meetup in central Hamilton early this morning. Photo / Supplied
The Police Association says boy racer meetups like one last night dubbed the “Hamilton invasion” are becoming increasingly violent and it’s now a matter of time until someone is killed.
Association president Chris Cahill says the events have evolved from mere gatherings where participants engage in dangerous driving, to deliberately orchestrated incidents aimed at provoking and attacking police officers.
He is calling on the courts to send a clear message to anyone convicted of violent offending like that seen overnight in Hamilton.
Cahill said there was a growing threat posed by boy racer meetups. They were increasingly becoming organised events focused on violence rather than just reckless driving.
“They’re going beyond motor vehicle meets, where people just break the law in a driving manner that actually become deliberate events where they assault police, attack police.”
As seen on a video still, a police car was rammed by a white ute as officers tried to control a large mob of youths in central Hamilton. Photo / Supplied
The events were increasingly centred around disorder, he said, with some participants intentionally ramming police vehicles.
Earlier today, police released photos of a ute that damaged a police car when it rammed into them during last night’s Hamilton event.
Three other police cars were damaged by the large crowd which police described as “hostile and violent”.
The situation was aggravated by online commentary that encouraged the behaviour, Cahill said.
He warned that those found to have incited violence online could face charges, in addition to charges stemming from their actions at the events.
“I think the courts need to send a pretty clear message to these people..m.they’re going to face the consequences if they’re found guilty of offending at these events.”
The potential for serious harm at these meetups was high, Cahill said.
“Someone just needs to be standing slightly in the wrong place... and suddenly you’ve got people seriously injured, or, you know, before long, someone will get killed.
“If there’s video footage that shows them breaking the law... they can expect a visit.”
The event, dubbed the “Hamilton invasion”, encouraged car enthusiasts to gather at various Hamilton locations last night to drift illegally.
Inspector Neil Faulkner said police initially received reports of a “large gathering of cars” at the intersection of Horotiu Rd and Great South Rd, about 2.15am.
“Attending staff initially dispersed the crowds and the vehicles moved on to converge near the Base in Northgate.”
Faulkner said the crowd became “hostile” towards police and officers were put at “serious risk” by the crowd due to the increasingly violent behaviour.
“In one instance, a vehicle allegedly reversed at speed towards a police car, which staff were standing in front of. Video of the incident shows an officer being forced to jump to safety to avoid being struck by the ute.
Police earlier released images of the ute involved, along with two people they wanted to speak to about the incident.
In an update shortly before 8pm, a police spokesman said; “Police are following positive lines of inquiry from information from the public.”
“The behaviour towards police was dangerous and it was fortunate that no staff or other members of the public were injured.
“Dashcam and video footage of the activity would also assist ongoing inquiries and those in possession of any footage are asked to provide that to police.”
Videos have been posted online, including one that captured the moment a white flat-deck ute rammed into the back of a police car.
About 30 police officers, armed with riot shields, were on the scene where more than 200 cars and their occupants had gathered.
Attendees were also injured, with at least one man getting hit by a car as it did a burnout while others set off firecrackers.
Police are cracking down on anti-social gatherings, such as the one that saw hundreds of cars gather around Levin in June. Photo / NZ Police
The organiser of the Levin event told 1News at Six the boy racers were “here to stay” and told Levin residents: “watch out for your intersections because we’re coming back”.
At the time, Police Minister Mark Mitchell said he planned to raise the possibility of introducing legislation about impounding cars with the Minister of Transport. Mitchell believed current legislation allowed seized cars to be returned after some time.
