The man who performed a citizen’s arrest to end a crime spree which culminated in a car being dumped in the water in Port Chalmers said his ‘‘adrenaline was running high’’. Reece Park, of Port Chalmers, was at home on Friday morning with his mother-in-law, who had some packages just outside the front door of her house. “Well, this guy picked up some packages and my mother-in-law . . . recognised that he had socks [only] on and didn't scan the packages.” ©Allied MediaThe coast guard boat moored alongside a stolen car submerged after being run down the boat launching ramp at Back Beach, Port Chalmers. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery He soon realised this could be the man who had been “robbing people in Port Chalmers”. Mr Park said “adrenaline was running high”, but he had experience in similar situations — this was not the first time he had performed a citizen’s arrest. He managed to keep the perpetrator under control. “He was on his stomach with his hands behind his back. "And I told him, ‘you need to roll over, I'm going to search your pockets so I can try to find some ID on you’.” The police were called and arrived about 9am on Friday. "They were pretty happy I stopped him,” Mr Park said. “To be honest, he was bigger than me. "He's older than me.” In a statement to social media, police said they were initially called to a submerged car near Peninsula Beach Rd about 6.30am on Friday. ©Allied MediaSodden bibles washed ashore from a submerged stolen car which was run down the boat launching ramp at Back Beach, Port Chalmers. Photo: Stephen Jaquiery "It’s believed the man dumped the car and jumped out before it went into the ocean,” the statement said. This followed earlier reports of vehicle tampering in Port Chalmers and an attempted break-in at a retail store in South Dunedin. The man is appearing in Dunedin District court on Saturday facing numerous charges relating to his offending. The vehicle was recovered from the water by the Otago Regional Council’s harbourmaster and pollution teams.
