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Police say it is a miracle no one was killed in a rampage in which a driver allegedly twice tried to run over a woman before dragging her mother down the street as she attempted to stop him.
After speeding off, the man picked up a group of women wanting a ride home and took them on a terrifying trip through Hamilton, avoiding road spikes, ramming two police cars and driving into oncoming traffic at speed before he eventually crashed.
Alison Slade, 40, said the man, a family friend, was asked to leave her Hamilton home after an argument late on Wednesday night.
Ms Slade, her partner, niece and daughter Kelly were standing near the footpath when the man allegedly tried to run the group over.
"He backed back and slammed it into drive and said 'I'm going to take the lot of you'," said Ms Slade.
He hit Kelly and took her under the front of the car, Ms Slade said. "She said she remembers the wheels going past her head." Kelly was dragged about 5m under the car as the man tried to speed away.
He then allegedly tried to reverse over her daughter, Ms Slade said. She reached through the window to grab the man's hair. "He bit my hand so I grabbed the seatbelt ... he dragged me down with him and I ended up taking my feet off the ground."
Ms Slade said she hung on for her life then managed to free herself before the man sped off.
He then offered a group of five women a ride home but police saw his car and pursued it.
Hamilton City Area Commander Rob Lindsay said the man allegedly rammed two patrol cars before racing through city streets, reaching speeds of 100km/h as his terrified passengers begged him to pull over.
Two of the women escaped at a service station. The other three jumped out a short time after. The man eventually lost control of his vehicle and crashed near Gordonton.
A 34-year-old Hamilton beneficiary was remanded in custody until today.
