NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

IPCA finds police used excessive force in East Auckland arrest of boys who fled in stolen car

Tara Shaskey
By Tara Shaskey
Open Justice multimedia journalist, Taranaki·NZ Herald·
3 Feb, 2025 11:21 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Police swarmed on a car in Flat Bush, arresting three people. Video / Supplied

The independent police watchdog has found officers used excessive force against two youths when arresting a group fleeing in a stolen car.

Bystanders recorded the dramatic arrest in East Auckland and posted the footage to social media, leading to claims of police brutality, and one officer being charged.

The video, which showed an officer punching one of the boys several times in the head, was considered by the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) during its investigation into the September 26, 2022, arrest.

Today, the IPCA released its report on the incident in which it found the force used by two police officers to apprehend two of the youths was unjustified.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Both constables remain members of the New Zealand Police.

According to the report, police arrested five youths, aged between 10 and 14, after pursuing and stopping them in a stolen car.

Officers had stopped the fleeing driver by blocking the car at both the front and back so it could not move.

The recorded footage showed officers ran towards the vehicle as soon as it stopped.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

At the same time, the young people inside the car began exiting. Officers immediately took hold of the driver and passengers, pulled them out of the car, and took them down to the ground to handcuff and arrest them.

The driver and one of the rear-seat passengers were detained without significant use of force. However, the video footage showed officers using significant force to detain the front seat passenger and two from the back.

The front-seat passenger, aged 14, was partially out of the car when an officer, referred to as Officer A in the report, pulled him out and onto the road.

Video footage shows Officer A punching the boy several times to the back of his head and back while he was lying face down on the ground.

Officer A then handcuffed him and took him to a nearby patrol car.

Another officer, Officer B, was recorded pulling a 10-year-old from the rear seat and onto the ground.

Another officer helped Officer B move the child to an area behind the stolen vehicle, so they had space to handcuff him.

The Independent Police Conduct Authority found two police officers used excessive force in the arrests. Photo / Wayne Drought
The Independent Police Conduct Authority found two police officers used excessive force in the arrests. Photo / Wayne Drought

However, the footage appeared to show Officer B kicking out at the 10-year-old while he was on the ground, being held by Officer D.

According to the report, Officer B denied kicking the boy. He stated the boy had grabbed his leg, so he “softly pushed out with my right leg to prevent being grabbed” as he was concerned he would be pulled to the ground.

A third young person from the backseat, aged 11, got out of the car and immediately crouched next to the rear wheel.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Another officer, Officer C, appeared to grab him by the upper arm and drag him roughly across the road to where he was handcuffed.

The report stated it appeared that the boy was not allowed to get up and walk.

“He appeared compliant up to the point he was grabbed and there was no reason for Officer C to believe that there was a need to preempt resistance from him,” the IPCA found.

Following the arrests, members of the public who had seen the footage online complained to the IPCA. Police also notified the authority of the incident two days later.

The IPCA’s investigation did not assess the justification for or execution of the pursuit and focused solely on the force used by the officers.

“Our investigator considered the law in relation to use of force, interviewed six officers as well as the five youths, and analysed both Eagle footage and the video footage taken by bystanders.”

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Officer A admitted to using excessive force against the 14-year-old and police charged him with common assault.

He pleaded guilty to that charge and was discharged without conviction. The IPCA agreed with the police’s decision to charge him.

The IPCA did not accept Officer B genuinely believed the 10-year-old could pull him down to the ground.

The authority noted he was a child who was already being held by Officer D at the time.

“In our assessment, even if [the boy] did try to grab hold of his leg, Officer B would have been able to either overcome this physical resistance or simply step back.”

In regards to the 11-year-old who was dragged, the mother reported her son had returned home with grazes on his hands and a black eye.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

However, the IPCA was not able to speak to the boy and ascertain how the injuries occurred.

“The grazed hands could have occurred when [the boy] was dragged across the road. However, the video footage shows that his upper body was lifted off the ground. The footage does not show any actions by Officer C that could have caused a black eye.”

The IPCA accepted that officers have to balance their actions against the urgency of the situation, the risk the occupants will flee, and the need to get the occupants away from the car for safety reasons and so they can be properly secured.

But in this case, the authority found, that while the arrests were justified, Officer A used excessive force when arresting the 14-year-old.

Officer B’s actions in lifting and dragging the 10-year-old from the car were reasonable in the circumstances however he subsequently used excessive force.

The force used to detain the driver and one of the other rear seat passengers was reasonable and justified.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Officer C’s actions in lifting and dragging the 11-year-old from the road to a safer location were reasonable in the circumstances.

Counties Manukau District Commander Superintendent Shanan Gray said in a statement acknowledging the findings that a thorough investigation was carried out into the incident.

“Any situation immediately after fleeing driver incidents are very dynamic and can pose risk to all concerned.

“Our staff make decisions every day about acting with urgency towards a situation while also keeping the safety of all top of mind.”

Gray said the outcome of the employment investigation was confidential but confirmed the constables remained members of the force.

Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 as a news director and Open Justice reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff covering crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

04 Jul 06:03 PM
Premium
New Zealand

Robo cop: Police trial drones to uncover hidden graves in murder cold cases

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
New Zealand

End of swimming pool weeds: Family's delight as cyclone-hit home gets green light

04 Jul 06:00 PM

There’s more to Hawai‘i than beaches and buffets – here’s how to see it differently

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from New Zealand

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

'I'm proud of you': Sister's final message before fatal crash

04 Jul 06:03 PM

Lily Arabin, 34, died in a car crash on the Tauranga Eastern Link on June 26.

Premium
Robo cop: Police trial drones to uncover hidden graves in murder cold cases

Robo cop: Police trial drones to uncover hidden graves in murder cold cases

04 Jul 06:00 PM
Premium
End of swimming pool weeds: Family's delight as cyclone-hit home gets green light

End of swimming pool weeds: Family's delight as cyclone-hit home gets green light

04 Jul 06:00 PM
On The Up: The paddling club of breast cancer survivors set to represent NZ on world stage

On The Up: The paddling club of breast cancer survivors set to represent NZ on world stage

04 Jul 06:00 PM
From early mornings to easy living
sponsored

From early mornings to easy living

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP