Car meets are supposed to be a fun place to catch up with fellow enthusiasts, but one such event in New Zealand took a bizarre and dangerous turn.
The New Zealand Police said they responded to a “serious incident” on July 27th at approximately 12:25 a.m. local time. As you can see in footage from the scene, a 47-year-old man used a steamroller to hit several vehicles that were gathered for the meet up in Wellington.
Five vehicles were damaged, and the police initially said two people were injured. One suffered “leg injuries involving another vehicle,” while the other received “facial injuries following an altercation.”
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In a follow up statement, Detective Senior Sergeant Kevan Verry said no one was injured by the steamroller, but the person who suffered leg injuries had to be hospitalized.
The authorities are withholding the attacker’s name, but disclosed that he was charged with endangering transport at the Hutt Valley District Court over the weekend. While no one was injured by the steamroller itself, Verry said the incident “had the potential for tragedy.” He also stressed that “our priority is making sure people are safe, and we are committed to working with the community on illegal street racing activity and anti-social driver behavior.”
Officers were light on specifics, but the Stuff reports the man was drunk and had a breath alcohol rating of 560 mcg per liter – more than twice the legal driving limit of 250 mcg per liter.
The motive for the attack remains unclear, but it’s possible the man was upset by the late night car meet. The Stuff’s correspondent talked to Richard Burrell, who said car meets have been a problem in the area for several months and sometimes attract 50-100 vehicles.
H/T to The Drive
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