Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi
Police say they've notified the next of kin of a man who died while being arrested in rural Auckland this weekend.
The man was tasered and pepper sprayed during a confrontation with police following a lengthy car chase that began in Papakura and ended on the beach at Ōrere Point on Sunday afternoon.
He was a passenger, and the 42-year-old driver was arrested separately without incident.
At the time, police reported to media that he was threatening officers with a samurai sword though they later clarified it was in fact a metal pipe.
The man became unresponsive after being taken into custody and couldn't be revived, dying at the scene.
Police hope to complete their post-mortem on Wednesday.
The driver has been charged over two robberies at a Wairau Valley bowling alley and a Takapuna bar on 14 February and 1 March respectively.
The driver is also accused of impersonating an officer while robbing the bowling alley.
He faces two counts of aggravated robbery and two counts of commission of a crime with a firearm and will reappear in the North Shore District Court next Monday.
