Police say a video posted on Facebook last night of a police arrest does not give a full picture of what occurred.
Police last night stopped a car at KFC in Napier to arrest a man who was wanted on warrant and had been forbidden to drive. His car was also to be impounded.
The man was un-coperative with police and refused to get out of the car. When he did, he became aggressive and resisted all attempts to handcuff him. He struggled violently with police, who used pepper spray on him. The spray hit the man but also splashed back into the face of one officer, making him incapable of assisting any further.
Despite the pepper spray, the man continued to struggle violently and refused to be handcuffed. His head was pushed to the ground by one officer in a bid to stop him struggling.
When police tried to get the car keys from the car, the man's mother, girlfriend and sister became obstructive towards police and refused to let them in the car to get the keys. They became abusive and violent and also resisted arrest.
All four were arrested and the male is due to appear in the Napier District Court today on a number of charges.
Police will be reviewing all the activity that took place at the scene as part of normal procedure when force is used at an incident. No staff have been stood down in relation to the incident.
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Any media queries to Eastern District Communications Manager Kris McGehan on 027 2223638.