The moment that two officers apprehended the suspected New Zealand mosque shooter was captured on video by passersby.
Australian citizen Brenton Harrison Tarrant’s car was rammed by a patrol car onto the side of the road on March 15 after 50 people were killed in two mosque shootings, with dozens more injured.
#Update: Another new extended video has been uploaded on social media where the shooter had been rammed by the police of #NewZealand, after the shootings at the 2 mosques, in the city of #Christchurch. pic.twitter.com/4A5wWZAFoO
— Sotiri Dimpinoudis (@sotiridi) March 15, 2019
In the video first posted to social media, Tarrant’s car can be seen wedged between the officer’s car and the sidewalk. One officer opens the suspect’s passenger side door while another officer approaches to assist.
With their weapons drawn, the officers drag the suspect out of the vehicle, leading to his arrest.
Charged with Murder Without Plea
Tarrant, handcuffed and wearing a white prison suit, stood silently in the Christchurch District Court on March 16 where he was remanded without a plea. He is due back in court on April 5 and police said he is likely to face further charges.
Friday’s attack, which New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said was an act of terrorism, was the worst ever peacetime mass killing in New Zealand, after which the country’s security threat level was raised from low to high.
New Zealand ‘shooter’ sent manifesto to officials and media before attack https://t.co/MtRDHYKUkM pic.twitter.com/xPi4TIftez
— New York Post (@nypost) March 16, 2019
The death toll rose to 50 after investigators found another victim as they removed bodies from the crime scenes, the country’s police commissioner said on Sunday, March 17.
Footage of one of the mosque attacks had been broadcasted live on Facebook by the suspect, and a “manifesto” denouncing immigrants as “invaders” was sent to politicians and media outlets and posted online via links to related social media accounts.
Moment New Zealand shooter appears in #Christchurch court
(Courtesy: TVNZ)
READ MORE: https://t.co/RZ29Ca19Hb#NewZealandShooting pic.twitter.com/ErjSzXCL0D
— RT (@RT_com) March 17, 2019
36 Minute Shooting Spree
The video showed a man driving to the Al Noor mosque, entering it, and shooting people in sight with a semi-automatic rifle. Worshippers, possibly dead or wounded, lay on the floor, the video showed.
At one stage, the shooter returned to his car to change weapons. He then re-entered the mosque to continue shooting. The camera attached to his head recording the massacre followed the barrel of his weapon, like some macabre video game.
.@jacindaardern on the mosque shootings: The shooter will face justice in New Zealand for the terrorist attack he committed.
MORE: https://t.co/JILM6NbWHb #weekendlive pic.twitter.com/fxfzWlBanI
— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) March 17, 2019
Tarrant’s grandmother, Marie Fitzgerald, 81, told Australia’s 9News that the Tarrant she knew in high school seemed more interested in playing computer games than dating girls.
“He spent most of his time playing games on computers in and outs of computers and playing games,” Fitzgerald said. “I don’t think girlfriends were on the agenda … getting married was too hard.”
Police said the suspect took seven minutes to travel to the second mosque in the suburb of Linwood where he carried out another attack. That attack was not livestreamed.
Tarrant was arrested in a car by police 36 minutes after they were first called. Police said the car was carrying improvised explosive devices.
My warmest sympathy and best wishes goes out to the people of New Zealand after the horrible massacre in the Mosques. 49 innocent people have so senselessly died, with so many more seriously injured. The U.S. stands by New Zealand for anything we can do. God bless all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2019
Intention to Continue
“The offender was mobile, there were two other firearms in the vehicle that the offender was in, and it absolutely was his intention to continue with his attack,” Ardern told reporters in Christchurch on Saturday.
Ardern’s office said the suspect sent the “manifesto” by email to a generic address for the prime minister, the opposition leader, the speaker of the parliament, and around 70 media outlets just minutes before the attack.
A spokesman said the email did not describe the specific incident and that there was “nothing in the content or timing that would have been able to prevent the attack.”
The staff member monitoring the accounts sent it to parliamentary services as soon as they saw it, who sent it to police, the spokesman said.
Three other people were in custody and police said they were seeking to understand whether they were involved in any way.
None of those arrested had a criminal history or were on watchlists in New Zealand or Australia.
Just spoke with Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, regarding the horrific events that have taken place over the past 24 hours. I informed the Prime Minister….
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2019
….that we stand in solidarity with New Zealand – and that any assistance the U.S.A. can give, we stand by ready to help. We love you New Zealand!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 15, 2019
Reuters contributed to this article.
