Another inquiry into police misuse of pepper spray has been launched after a five-year-old Auckland girl was sprayed during a domestic dispute.
Police were called to the New Lynn address, in west Auckland, at 3am yesterday to help settle an argument between the girl's uncle and his partner.
Police used pepper spray as they were arresting the uncle outside, and Desharna Soloman, 5, walked into a cloud of it, the Herald on Sunday reported.
Desharna's family said one officer sprayed three other family members watching the arrest, two of whom were pregnant.
Another uncle, Shannon Solomon, who was sprayed said police gave them no warning.
"He was spraying everywhere. He was going shhhh, shhhh, shhhh to get us back," Mr Solomon said.
Desharna's aunt said the girl starting screaming.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"I could hear her crying, but I couldn't see her. I was crawling around trying to find her," she said.
The family said they intend to lay a formal complaint to the police complaints authority.
Police Association spokesman Greg O'Connor said he had looked into the incident and believed the use of spray was justified.
The incident follows another west Auckland inquiry after 35-year-old Scott MacDonald was pepper-sprayed as he lay hand-cuffed on the ground outside a charity boxing match in Henderson last May.
The act was caught on camera by a television cameraman and sparked public outcry and questions over police misuse of the spray.
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