Police Defend 'Heavy-Handed Arrest' Outside Napier KFC

Waitn for our dina at Napier KFC got uz on video #PIGSHITS!#

Posted by Chaunae Javarn Keil on Tuesday, 10 November 2015

The video shows a man lying on the ground while an officer struggles to handcuff him. It appears the officer punches him in the face during the struggle. The man's family are clearly distressed and arguing with a second police officer.

The person filming the incident can be heard talking in the background, clearly saying: "They just punched him in the face."

She later says: "I caught that."

Hundreds of people have commented on the video, some expressing disgust at the officer's behaviour, while others sympathised with them.

In the statement police said they stopped the car at KFC in Napier to arrest a man who was wanted on a warrant, and had been banned from driving. The car was also to be impounded.

He was "uncooperative with police", and refused to get out of the car, police said.

"When he did, he became aggressive and resisted all attempts to handcuff him," the statement said.

"He struggled violently with police, who used pepper spray on him.

"The spray hit the man but also splashed back into the face of one officer, making him incapable of assisting any further.

"Despite the pepper spray, the man continued to struggle violently and refused to be handcuffed.

"His head was pushed to the ground by one officer in a bid to stop him struggling."

When police attempted to get the car keys out of the car, the man's mother, girlfriend and sister "became obstructive", police said, and refused to let officers into the car.

"They became abusive and violent and also resisted arrest."

All four were arrested, and the man was due to appear in the Napier District Court today on a number of charges, police said.

"Police will be reviewing all the activity that took place at the scene as part of normal procedure when force is used at an incident," the statement said.

"No staff have been stood down in relation to the incident."

- NZME.