A man who was tasered during his arrest after allegedly threatening police with a samurai sword has died.
Assistant Commissioner Jill Rogers said the man was given medical assistance but was unable to be revived, after being taken into custody this afternoon at Ōrere Point Beach in rural eastern Auckland.
It followed a fleeing driver incident where the driver was taken into custody without incident. The man who died was a passenger in the vehicle, which stopped at 3.20pm.
“Taser, OC spray and a police dog unit had been deployed after the man challenged and threatened officers with a samurai sword and bit an officer,” Rogers said.
“After being taken into custody by officers, the man became unresponsive.”
Officers could still be seen attending to the scene of the incident earlier this evening.
“Police are working to locate the man’s next of kin, to inform them of the death and ensure appropriate support is in place for them. Until the next of kin notifications have been carried out, further details regarding the deceased will not be provided.
“A post-mortem examination will be carried out in the coming days, to establish the cause of death, and police will make enquiries on behalf of the coroner,” Rogers said.
Police said the matter would be referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority and WorkSafe.
Hour-long fleeing driver incident preceeded death
According to police, officers initially saw the car, which was being sought as part of an ongoing investigation, on Great South Rd in Papakura at around 2.15pm.
“The driver failed to stop for police and was monitored by the Eagle helicopter as it drove to Ōrere Point, where it came to a stop on the beach at around 3.20pm.”
Police alleged the “passenger of the car challenged police officers, threatening officers with a samurai sword and biting the hand of one officer.
“That officer has been transported to a medical centre for treatment.”
Police said in an earlier statement that the use of taser, pepper spray and dog unit “enabled [police] to take the man into custody without further injury to officers.”
Cordons are in place at Ōrere Point and the public is asked to follow the directions of emergency services staff.
