The man who died after jumping into the water at Ōhope Beach in the Bay of Plenty as he allegedly fled from police has been named as 41-year-old Hikato Maaka.
The death of the Whakatāne man, who was a father of five, has been referred to the coroner, a police spokesman said.
“[The New Zealand] Police extends its condolences to his whānau during this difficult time,” the spokesman said.
A family member claimed Maaka was under arrest following an argument that had caused trouble in the area.
“He must have been causing trouble, so they already had him in custody,” he said.
“After they arrested him, they [allegedly] let him go into the ocean to go and retrieve the fishing net he had set, assuming he wouldn’t go far.”
The man believes police should not have allegedly allowed him in the water, “especially because he was intoxicated”.
“That was when he started evading arrest, once he was in the water,” he said.
The man said Maaka refused to get out of the water when he was asked.
“He had been clinging to a buoy, and then police just turned around and he was gone,” he said.
His body was found overnight Saturday.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
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