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A Hamilton man has lodged an official complaint claiming he was kicked and punched by five police officers after he crashed trying to flee a patrol car.
Aaron Tahapeehi says he received a broken tooth, black eye and bruising when police removed him from his car when it was in a precarious position over a small bank above a house.
Police said they had to use force to get Tahapeehi out of his car due to its dangerous position over the bank and could not comment on how he got his injuries.
Tahapeehi, 29, said he laid an official complaint with the Independent Police Conduct Authority following the incident on Friday night for which he faced three charges.
After allegedly doing a burnout on Te Rapa Rd, to the north of the city, Tahapeehi, who was not wearing a seatbelt, failed to stop for police and drove off at speed. The pursuit ended when he crashed.
"I put both my hands out of the window. Instantly two cops grabbed an arm each trying to pull me out of the car. Another two officers just immediately started punching me in the head and the face," he told the Waikato Times.
He claimed a fifth officer pushed his boot into his head.
Tahapeehi said he sped away because he did not want his car being impounded for being unwarranted and unregistered. "I did do a stupid thing by not stopping for the police."
Waikato District Commander Superintendent Allan Boreham said force was needed to extract Tahapeehi, who declined medical attention, because of the position of the car.
"While acknowledging the seriousness of the incident it is also important to note our staff encountered Mr Tahapeehi following a high speed crash where various forces come into play with the sudden stopping of a motor vehicle."
Tahapeehi will appear in Hamilton District Court on Thursday charged with failing to stop for police, operating a motor vehicle causing sustained loss of traction and reckless driving.
- NZPA
