Dunedin police were kept busy at Queen’s Birthday weekend, dealing with an assault on an officer, a man allegedly showing off a starting pistol and a maskless couple refusing to leave a store.
At 8am on Saturday a 47-year-old man driving on a gravel harbourside road in Port Chalmers was affected by sunstrike and drove off the road and down a 2m-high sea wall, landing in the water.
At 3am on Saturday, police received calls to reports of a man with a pistol, who was allegedly brandishing the weapon and showing it to people as they walked past.
Police spoke to a 26-year-old man carrying a starting pistol in the waistband of his track pants.
The man was arrested and charged with unlawfully carrying an imitation firearm and presenting something that was believed to be a prohibited firearm at a person.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said that at 10.30pm on Sunday a 26-year-old man entered a Great King St property with some associates while carrying a knife.
The man had "beef" with one of the occupants, Snr Sgt Bond said.
The knife was located on the balcony and the offender was found hiding in a nearby vehicle.
He was arrested and while being processed assaulted a police officer, Snr Sgt Bond said.
The man grabbed the officer’s arm, pulled her towards him and stated he would break her wrist and knock her out, Snr Sgt Bond said.
He was charged with committing a burglary with a weapon and with assaulting a police officer.
At 3pm on Sunday, police were called to the Four Square in Outram after a 29-year-old man and a 27-year-old woman refused to leave the store when asked.
The policy of the store was that all customers must wear a mask, but the couple refused.
Police trespassed the pair.
At 4.20am on Monday an intoxicated man returned to the taxi depot in Leith St in search of his lost phone, which he believed to be in a taxi.
The man smashed the window of a taxi.
He was arrested, but released without charges.
At 2pm, police received several reports of a man standing on a Serpentine Rd balcony throwing items at passing traffic.
Upon arrival police found surfboards, chairs, cans of food and other items on the footpath and road.
A 21-year-old man was arrested and charged with endangering traffic.
