Did fatal chase have P overtones?

Mike Sabin from drug educator Methcon questions whether P use behind chase in Auck which led to innocent courier being killed

24 January 2009
The desperate actions of a man who led police on a wild chase through Auckland yesterday are being likened to those of a P-user in withdrawal.

Police pursued the man for almost an hour as he took pot shots at them, after he allegedly snatched a bag. The chase came to an abrupt end on the Northwestern Motorway with the fatal shooting of courier driver Halatau Naitoko.

Mike Sabin of the drug educator MethCon Group, says it is very uncommon for addicts craving the drug to give up willingly.

"Consistently you see people after extended periods of bingeing on methamphetamine being awake for days. They become desperately violent, very irrational and they see, hear and see in 'fast forward.' They will stop at nothing to escape."

Mr Sabin says a criminal in the 'down' phase of the drug cycle is extremely frightening and almost impossible to reason with.

The man arrested has spent the night in hospital under police guard and will undergo surgery to remove shrapnel from the wounds he sustained.

He has been charged with failing to stop for police and using a firearm against a police officer.

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