A Huntly man has been arrested and charged following an attack on two local police officers with a metal bar.
The attack in the Waikato town, which put the two officers in hospital, took place in the early hours of this morning.
Police said the officers pulled over a car in the town shortly after 2am, and used pepper spray and a taser on the driver. The passenger in the car then came up behind the officers and attacked them with a metal vacuum cleaner pipe, they said.
One of the officers, who was still in hospital this morning with facial injuries, is due to get married in 10 days' time. He has now returned home to recover.
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
Police said this afternoon that a 23-year-old man was found at midday at a Huntly address, and was speaking with police at the Huntly station.
He will appear in the Hamilton District Court tomorrow, facing two charges of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
Police said the weapon used in the attack had been recovered.
Waikato West Area Commander Inspector Naila Hassan said earlier that the passenger in the car was not provoked before the attack.
"He just attacked these officers for absolutely no reason. He wasn't involved in what was going on. In fact, he had walked away from the vehicle, so he's come back and attacked them. So he's absolutely dangerous and we'll do what we can to find him this morning."
Ms Hassan said one of the officers suffered a broken nose, two black eyes, a split lip and a cut above his eye.
"So he's not in a good way, particularly when he is getting married in 10 days' time."
A 30-year-old man was earlier charged with assault and driving offences.
