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Home / Outcomes / 2024 Summaries of Police Investigations

Police use of force unjustified as officer punched young people repeatedly as a “pre-emptive” precaution

31 July 2024

The Authority oversaw a Police investigation into a notification alleging an officer repeatedly punched two young people at the end of a fleeing driver pursuit.

Police stopped a fleeing driver on SH1 north of Auckland after a lengthy pursuit. The young people got out of the vehicle and were laying on the median area with their hands behind their back or out beside them. The officer punched two of the youths in the head. The incident was captured on Eagle footage. Neither youth was resisting arrest when the officer punched them in the face.

Police conducted a criminal investigation and found that the officer’s use of force was unjustified. The officer was charged with two counts of common assault and pled guilty. He received a discharged without conviction.

Police conducted an employment process that found the officer’s actions breached the Code of Conduct.

IPCA: 22-13719

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