Protester drives at police line in New Zealand

A demonstrator drove a car toward a police line and came within inches of officers amid ongoing convoy protests outside New Zealand’s parliament building, The Associated Press reported. 

Video online showed a white vehicle driving the wrong way down a street toward a group of officers who quickly got out of its way. 

Several officers then climbed inside the stopped vehicle and pulled out the driver, according to the AP. 

Authorities said the driver was arrested, as were two protesters who allegedly obstructed officers. 

Police Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers also told reporters that three officers were taken to nearby medical facilities after being sprayed with an unknown substance by demonstrators, the AP noted. 

“Our focus remains on opening the roads up to Wellingtonians and doing our absolute best to restore peaceful protest,” Chambers said. “The behavior of a certain group within the protest community is absolutely disgraceful.”

Demonstrators have been protesting New Zealand’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate and restrictions outside of the parliament building for weeks, drawing comparisons to similar convoy protests in Ottawa, Canada. 

New Zealand has been experiencing a recent spike of omicron variant cases as daily cases rose to a new high of more than 2,800 on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said she plans to ease virus mandates and restrictions once the current virus outbreak passes. 

Seventy-seven percent of New Zealand residents are vaccinated against the virus, the AP noted.