Man veered into teenage cyclists, allegedly killed dog in violent rampage in Auckland's Epsom
A man has been arrested after allegedly hitting a group of teenage cyclists in a stolen car and strangling a dog to death on a busy street in Auckland's Epsom.
Exact charges against the 49-year-old were still being confirmed after the series of attacks on Wednesday, police said.
Three Auckland Grammar School students were taken to hospital, one with life-threatening injuries.
Auckland City District Commander Superintendent Sunny Patel said there was no ongoing risk to the community, but one of the teenage boys was in a critical condition in hospital and had undergone surgery.
The two other boys were in a serious and moderate condition in hospital.
The teenagers had been training as part of a cycling club, he said.
Patel said the parents of the boys had been advised and were at their sides in hospital.
The school's headmaster, Tim O'Connor, said in a letter to parents of the school's students his immediate priority was the health, safety, and well-being of the affected students and their families.
"We are also ensuring that counselling and support services are made available to members of our wider school community who have been impacted by this incident.
"Our thoughts are with the boys and families affected, and out of respect for their privacy, we will not be making any further comment at this time."
O'Connor advised parents concerned about how the incident had affected their sons or their friends to contact school counsellors.
He said the school was cooperating with the police investigation.
What happened, according to police
Police said they were called to reports of a serious assault at the intersection of Ranfurly Rd and Manukau Rd about 7am.
What followed were described by Patel as six separate incidents.
Acting Detective Inspector Craig Bolton said a man without warning had assaulted a woman, causing bruising to her face, head and upper body.
"A member of the public stopped to assist the victim, before this offender has stolen the good Samaritan's vehicle," he said.
Patel confirmed the woman was jogging when she was assaulted by the man who was not wearing any pants, and three our four members of the public came to help her.
"The offender then fled in the stolen vehicle, hitting several vehicles before striking three cyclists who were riding on Manukau Road."
After crashing the vehicle, the offender approached a woman walking her dogs.
"The offender has subjected one of the dogs to a violent assault, and sadly the dog has died at the scene," acting Detective Inspector Bolton said.
Patel said police attempted to taser the man once and then were able to taser him and pull him off the dog which had been killed.
"It is a random event that has occurred," he said.
Jessica Hopkins reports from scene of police incident in Epsom
"This has all taken place in full view of the public going about their morning commute."
During the police standup, Patel confirmed the dog had been strangled.
Five patients were at the scene when Hato Hone St John arrived, a spokesperson confirmed.
Three cyclists were taken to hospital and two other people were treated at the scene.
The man was in police custody and Patel said charges would soon follow.
Patel said the man was known to police, but had not been on bail.
Police were assisting the dog walker, Patel said, who was "very, very upset".
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Witnesses describe the scene
Several smashed vehicles could be seen inside the cordon, along with a crumpled bicycle next to a red puffer jacket.
Petrol station worker Manthan Patel said he heard a "crazy" sound before he witnessed a man driving a car into another vehicle.
He said the man then got out of the car and attacked a dog.
A staff member at Forbes Homemade Gourmet on Ranfurly Rd told RNZ she had seen the incident unfold early this morning.
"There was a guy shouting in the streets next to where I'm working.
"It seemed as though he had no pants on."
She was worried that he could come into her workplace, so decided to call the police.
Soon after, customers told cafe staff that the man had crashed a car and punched a woman, she said.
A cordon put in place around the area had caused "bumper to bumper traffic" in the area, but it was now clearing, she said.
A worker at Steam Wand cafe just outside the Manukau Rd cordon heard a man screaming about 7am, followed by the screams of a woman. Police sped past the cafe soon after.
"This was an incredibly violent event which has unfolded very quickly. We acknowledge it has impacted many innocent people who were just going about their mornings," police said.
"Police are aware many people witnessed this incident, and we are appealing to the public for information and dashcam footage."
Offender 'known to police' - Seymour
Deputy Prime Minister and MP for Epsom, David Seymour, said the incident will shock people.
"People may be worried that this was some sort of premeditated terror-type attack, it was not that," Seymour said.
"It was a person known to police for mental health illness who has done something absolutely awful but not premeditated the way some people may fear."
He said Epsom was a tight-knit community.
"We don't expect things like this to happen here, or anywhere for that matter.
"Our thoughts will be with people affected by the incident, hoping they recover well and quickly."
There will be an increased police presence in the area while enquiries are ongoing.