Motorist mounts footpath, ploughs car into illegal dirt bike riders taking a weekend joyride in Auckland. Video / Supplied
Police have arrested five children and a man, and seized three dirt bikes after earlier calling illegal riders, regularly seen tearing around Auckland streets, “extremely selfish”.
It comes as new footage shared with the Herald shows an apparent vigilante motorist mounting a footpath and ploughing into two bikes purportedly involved in the joyrides.
Police were “not immediately aware of the incident ... being reported” to them, a police spokeswoman said, but were continuing to investigate a large group of riders who drove through Auckland on Anzac Day.
The video shows the car knocking the two riders off their bikes, leaving them on the ground between cars waiting in traffic.
It follows an appeal from police for parents of the riders, who were often youths, to take responsibility for their behaviour and an admission police couldn’t handle the problem themselves.
Police Inspector Rakana Cook said police had tried to hold these riders to account, “but the message does not seem to be getting through”.
The five youths recently arrested, aged between 12 and 14, were referred to Youth Aid Services and were forbidden from driving, police said.
Police arrested three of the children after they didn’t stop for police when signalled to on Papakura’s Great South Rd last Thursday.
Two others were arrested after they didn’t stop for police on Pukekohe’s Birdwood Ave the following day.
The older man was arrested after police saw a motorcyclist on an unregistered bike on Papakura’s Dominion Rd on April 26.
The motorcyclist then fled police but was caught and charged with failing to stop and receiving stolen property. He has since appeared in the Papakura District Court.
New Zealand First leader Winston Peters earlier said the Anzac Day joyride highlighted “increasing lawlessness”, which he blamed on what he called “catch and release” policies and “the hug and cup of milo philosophy our laws have turned into”.
Peters called the group “ferals” and said New Zealand was turning into the Wild West.
On Tuesday, a group of riders started kicking a parked police car which was responding to callouts to the “unacceptable” behaviour, as officers inside watched them and took notes to follow up on, Cook said.
“The patrol car was not damaged but this type of behaviour was unacceptable,” he said.
“Police have been carrying out enforcement work to target this behaviour but it is complex and not something which police can solve alone.
“This is ... challenging ... to deal with at the time due to safety for other road users and the riders themselves,” Cook said.
The operation resulted in 59 dirt bikes and 39 vehicles being impounded. Photo / Supplied
He said it was incredibly frustrating for police when motorcyclists had “absolutely no regard for the safety of others” and their behaviour was putting lives at risk.
Cook said it was extremely concerning an innocent motorist was caught up in the mayhem. On Tuesday, police said the bikers swarmed a car, leaving the woman inside shaken and upset.
A man who saw the event unfold told Stuff the bikers targeted the car and attempted to slash its tyres and used their helmets to smash the windows of the car.
A police spokeswoman said they were called to the scene near Sylvia Park about 3.25pm on Tuesday after reports of an incident involving a large group of dirt bikers and another vehicle.
Large groups of people on dirt bikes have been causing issues across Auckland. Photo / NZ Police
The group left the vehicle badly damaged, and the driver was uninjured but “very shaken”.
Another witness, who didn’t want to be named, told the Herald her car was “surrounded by a whole lot of men on bikes that really couldn’t care less about anyone else on the road”.
“The light turned green and there was no way I was going to drive through it as they were blocking the way,” she said.
