The result of a wild manhunt in Central Otago had trampers thinking they had stumbled onto the set of an action movie.
At 11:45am on Monday, police noticed a man driving erratically in Roxburgh. When they signaled for the driver to stop, he refused, sparking the beginning of a dramatic chase.
After a brief vehicle pursuit, police used road spikes on Fruitlands-Roxburgh Road, a spokesperson told Newshub.
The suspect hit the spikes, then crashed into a truck before abandoning the car and sprinting from police on foot.
One man told Otago Daily Times he saw the suspect run down his driveway and leap through the beehives in his garden before jumping over a bank.
Another witness said she saw the man get tasered by police, but he didn't fall.
He then jumped into the Clutha River to evade capture, reports Otago Daily Times, but police say he was arrested a short time later.
Two trampers who saw the man being arrested told Otago Daily Times they thought they had stumbled on to a film set when they saw the suspect being led away in handcuffs.
Police say enquiries are ongoing to establish potential charges against the man.
A St John spokeswoman said the man was assessed by ambulance staff and did not need to be transported elsewhere.
No injuries were reported as a result of the crash with the truck.
