Source: Radio New Zealand
Dunedin police say they shot at a man as he drove his vehicle towards officers and their patrol car while trying to avoid arrest.
Police were looking for the man in relation to a series of offences in the Otago coastal area over recent days.
Officers involved in an operation to locate the 46-year-old saw him at a commercial premises on Kaikorai Valley Road at about 6pm and tried to apprehend him.
Superintendent Jason Guthrie said the man drove his car towards the patrol car in an effort to avoid arrest and in response police fired one shot.
“No other shots were fired in the incident, and nobody was injured,” he said in a statement.
The man then fled in the vehicle but was later found in Brockville where police successfully deployed road spikes, he said.
The man fled into the bush but was found soon after by a police dog team in the Fraser’s Gully area, he said.
Earlier on Wednesday, police had asked the public to keep clear of Three Mile Hill and Brockville as officers searched the cordoned area.
Cordons were still in place at 9pm on Wednesday but were expected to be lifted shortly, Guthrie said.
The incident will be referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority as is standard procedure when a police firearm is used.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
