Face of the Day

A young driver who went on a rampage through Auckland Central – swerving his Jaguar onto a busy walkway and narrowly missing pedestrians before intentionally ramming a police car – has lost his bid for permanent name suppression.

Andrew Dykstra was 19 in February 2024 when he was arrested for the second time in as many months. The Te Atatū resident had just been released from jail after failing to appear at a Taupō District Court hearing for his earlier rampage when he drove into Auckland’s City Centre and seemed to lose control again.

A bystander filmed Dykstra dangerously ramming the patrol vehicle as one officer stood by the driver’s side door and another had the passenger door open, about to get out. The teen then sped off but was taken into custody a short time later – his escape attempt thwarted by city centre gridlock. [...]

Dykstra’s first run-in with police was on January 2 last year in Kuratau, a small Waikato community on the western edge of Lake Taupō.

Court documents do not explain what sparked the outburst, which the judge described as “a truly frightening experience” for the community, but she described the defendant as someone who can fixate on issues when there’s a perceived mistreatment.

His autism and ADHD diagnoses – paired with his parents’ failure at setting boundaries – were suggested as contributing factors to the offending. [...]

He then threatened to kill another person who was sitting in a nearby vehicle, making a throat-slashing gesture [...]

The teen was initially charged with assaulting two officers, but those charges were withdrawn prior to his guilty pleas to nine other charges including wilful damage, speaking threateningly and dangerous driving.

As a result, he faced a maximum sentence of three months’ imprisonment instead of three years. All sides agreed a custodial sentence was not necessary given his youth, neurodiversity, remorse and attempts at rehabilitation. [...]

[The judge] expressed optimism that, with the help and guidance from probation, Dykstra could find work and get some much-needed independence from his parents.

“I’m sure you’ll do great,” she said.