A 31-year-old man from Whanganui faces multiple charges following a disturbing incident in central Auckland where he allegedly choked a police dog until it lost consciousness.
According to Senior Sergeant Dave Plunkett, the sequence of events began early Sunday morning, around 12:10 a.m., when police attempted to pull over a vehicle. The driver, who was already disqualified, fled the scene, leading police on a dangerous chase through Mount Albert and Avondale. The pursuit ended when the vehicle crashed onto railway lines at the St Georges Road crossing.
Upon exiting the vehicle, the suspect was confronted by a police dog unit. During the struggle to subdue him, he reportedly began strangling the canine, causing it to become unconscious. The situation was quickly addressed by the dog’s handler and a police sergeant, who intervened to free the dog from the man’s grasp.
The police dog regained consciousness and assisted in completing the arrest. The suspect was taken into custody and received medical treatment for bites sustained during the incident. The police dog was subsequently taken to a veterinarian, where it was found to have only minor injuries.
The man will appear in Auckland District Court today facing a range of serious charges. These include two counts of assaulting police, two counts of resisting police, dangerous driving, failing to stop, injuring a police dog, driving while disqualified, and endangering the safety of railway employees and trains.
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