Car meet: organisers unable to control crowd

Milk pours out of a tanker during an altercation with other road users in Waikato. Photo: Supplied/Stuff.

A group who helped to run a Waikato car meet, in which some of the attendees attacked a milk tanker, say they do not condone that behaviour.

The windscreen of a Fonterra tanker was smashed with a hammer and its milk was released onto the road when it tried to pass through the meet early on Saturday morning in Waikato.

It happened near the intersection of Stokes Road and Orini Road, just north of Hamilton.

Video footage shows a group of people swarming around the tanker, opening the cab door and appearing to pull at the driver inside.

Significant amounts of milk can also be seen gushing onto the road.

The group, who spoke to RNZ through the rfbdaily Facebook account, say they were not able to control the crowd.

"We obviously do not allow these actions happening at the car meets and we try our best to filter these people away from the scene. Nothing goes perfectly - they should be responsible [for] their own actions - but we try our best to keep things in order."

They explained people were angry because the tanker did not slow down when approaching the intersection where the meet was, and hit one of the cars.

"Usually, tanker drivers are nice and always slow down and make sure everyone is safe before carrying on. This tanker driver didn't really [seem to] care about anyone ... someone could've been run over."

A police spokesperson says: "It is unclear at this time exactly what happened at the scene and the extent of the damage to the truck is yet to be established."

An investigation is ongoing and police have appealed to the public for their help to identify those involved.

"Anyone with information, video or pictures of the incident is being urged to fill out an online 105 report and quote file number 220320/4139," the spokesperson says.

No direct comment was made on whether the group that helped run the meet was helping police with their inquiries.

But they did say they were "trying our best to figure out the name of who opened the milk tanker and we are removing them from the scene".

-RNZ/Nita Blake-Persen.

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2 comments

Responsibilities

Posted on 23-03-2022 10:45 | By SonnyJim

Clearly, the "car meet" organisers are responsible for the whole incident. They must be charged as a group for blockading the road, damage to the road, disorderly behavior, and so on. And if any burnout fluids were thrown on the road, then that is criminal behavior.


What's missing ....

Posted on 23-03-2022 11:07 | By Border Patrol

...in this story, is the fact that these "car meets" are on public roads and the tanker was there lawfully with every right to unimpeded access. The entitled comments from these organisers "the tanker didn't slow down/ someone could have been run over" is mind boggling given they shouldn't even be there in the first place. Just shows how long a blind eye has been turned by authorities to these idiots. It's time the police got some backbone and start dealing to these thugs. Perhaps target the "organisers" who are on social media. Rural communities must be pulling their hair out at the lack of action from the appropriate authorities and eventually will take their own form of justice.


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