The Police Tactical Response Group fired a pistol at the tyres of a meth offender in car chase at Mata-ki-'Eua, the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court was told by witnesses.

Pangi Puloka (47) was found guilty of possessing 4.34 grams and 2.17 grams of methamphetamine at Mata-ki-'Eua in 2020.

He was arrested in his car, after he tried to run down police officers, who were standing on a road to stop him.

Hon Justice Niu convicted Puloka in his verdict on February 26, at the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court.

On March 23, 2020 the accused was arrested by the Police Tactical Response Group.

Police witnesses said they were out in their vehicle searching for the accused, who was said to be driving around in the Mata-Ki-'Eua area in his car.

The response group who were in police uniforms got off their vehicle to block the accused car on a side road. They yelled out to him, that they were the police and to stop, but the accused did not and came towards the officers with his car.

One of the police officers fired a pistol at the front right tyre of the car. The car did not stop but then crashed into a vehicle travelling from the other side. Both vehicles then came to a stop.

After managing to apprehend the accused, police searched and found nothing on him. However, they found something in his car, which were plastic bags sticking out of a cup holder on the dashboard just by the driver's door. The plastic bag with the white substance was taken in to custody and was later weighed to be 4.34 grams of methamphetamine.

At the same time, police found another object on the grass on the side of the accused car. That object contained a white substance, which was later weighed to be 2.17 grams of methamphetamine.

The accused denied the charges and claimed that police planted the drugs to frame him.

The judge rejected the accused evidence, after finding it entirely unreliable.

He was satisfied that the accused had the knowledge and control of both meths and accordingly he had possession of them.

The accused was then found him guilty on both counts and will be sentenced on a later date.