At about 4am this morning, a home owner in Kawaha Point disturbed a person breaking into his car on his driveway. The home owner confronted the 'would be' car thief who threatened the owner with a pipe wrench. The Police were called and attended the scene.
A Police dog handler then started a lengthy track chasing the suspected offender through the Kawaha Point area. The track was arduous and difficult over 3 kilometres long, through properties and reserves, over fences and along Lake Rotorua shoreline.
The dog handler then caught up with the alleged offender in the back yard of a house near the lakeshore. The man jumped down a steep bank and ran towards the lake followed closely by the dog handler.
The man has then run into Lake Rotorua and started to make his way away from shore into deeper water. The dog handler has followed attempting to apprehend him but the man has continued out into the lake. Lake Rotorua in winter is an extremely cold, with a current temperature of 9.5 degrees.
The man has started to become tired and disorientated showing signs of hypothermia. The dog handler, still in pursuit, has continually communicated with him trying to convince him to move towards the shore. At this stage another constable has entered the water to assist the dog handler and made his way through the freezing water towards the man.
Meanwhile other patrols in the area lit the area with spotlights to keep an eye on the scene in the lake. The man was by now really struggling to stay above water and the staff feared he would drown. He was seen to go under at least twice before the two Police staff managed to get him his back and carry him back to shore.
The man was then taken by ambulance to Rotorua. He is being treated for hypothermia and has water in his lungs but is expected to recover. The Police Constable also suffered from hypothermia was also taken to the hospital. The Police dog and his handler were unaffected by the cold.
Inspector Van Den Broek said: "This is an excellent piece of police work where the nightshift staff have worked together to keep the alleged offender cordoned in an area so that the dog and his handler have been able to complete a lengthy track. They have then managed to rescue the man after he made a poor decision by going into the lake."
A 29-year-old man from Hamilton is being charged with attempted unlawful taking of a motor vehicle and aggravated assault.
"The Police would like to thank the members of the public that assisted during the chase of the alleged offender and also assisted by helping police staff who been in the water with towels and dry clothes."
Ed Van Den Broek
Inspector
Area Tactical Response Manager
Rotorua