Fugitive surrenders at sight of Taser

The threat of being zapped with 50,000 volts was enough to get the man to surrender. Photo / Sarah Ivey

A shirtless fugitive who kept police at bay with tree branches and the occasional haka for nearly three hours threw his arms in the air when an officer threatened him with a Taser.

Police had ruled out using dogs or pepper spray to catch the 36-year-old, who had dragged an officer with his car before crashing into a tree in the Hamilton suburb of Pukete.

The CIB officer had been questioning the man after a complaint from a female jogger that she had been followed.

He suffered moderate injuries and nearby residents went to his aid while a colleague chased the fugitive, who ran down an alley to the Waikato River.

The man took off his shirt on the river bank to reveal "Tuhoe" tattooed across his chest. He then waded knee-deep into the water before scrambling back to the river's edge.

He gestured to a crowd of about 50 on the other side of the river, beat nearby bushes with tree branches and performed an impromptu haka as police tried to get him to give himself up.

The decision to use the Taser - capable of inflicting a 50,000-volt shock - "was not taken lightly", the police said.

Acting Hamilton City area commander Inspector Karen Henrikson said Waikato police do not have Tasers so the Eagle police helicopter flew one from Auckland.

The Herald understands the incident was the first time a Taser has been presented in the Waikato.

Ms Henrikson said the officer with the Taser was introduced to the fugitive, who was told he had the device and was ready to use it.

"Its capabilities were explained," she said. "This was enough to make the offender completely compliant."

The hurt CIB officer was taken by ambulance to Waikato Hospital, where he was in a comfortable condition last night.

The fugitive was taken into custody and was being interviewed in relation to a range of offences.

Waikato police communications manager Andrew McAlley said Hamilton police are to receive Tasers as part of the national roll-out of the weapons later this year.