User:Kiwiz1338/sandboxc

Tarrant's arrest
A silver 2005 Subaru Outback matching the description of Tarrant's vehicle was seen by a police unit, and a pursuit was initiated at 1:57p.m. Two police officers rammed his car off the road with their vehicle, and Tarrant was arrested without resistance on Brougham Street in Sydenham at 1:59p.m., 18 minutes after the first emergency call.

The arresting officers, Jim Manning and Scott Carmody, had been acquainted for 20 years. When gunshots were reported at the hospital, their experience suggested that the alert was likely due to injured individuals arriving, as Deans Avenue was already secured, and the offenders were not present there. Upon spotting the Subaru, they executed a U-turn. Anticipating potential gunfire from the vehicle at any moment, Manning accelerated and maneuvered the police car into the Subaru's driver's door to incapacitate the driver. Carmody instructed Manning to enter the vehicle from behind and handcuff the driver. Manning proceeded to the rear of the vehicle, opened the hatchback, and discovered what appeared to be four improvised incendiary devices.

"I noticed his hands were fishing in his vest. I didn’t know if he had a detonator for the explosives, or was going for his knife, or whether he had another weapon concealed in his clothing."

Carmody contemplated shooting him due to the potential threat but was concerned about the risk of a ricochet hitting Jim. "So I reversed my weapon and struck him with the butt, intending to render him unconscious."

The offender went limp, allowing Jim and Scott to turn him over, handcuff him, and drag him away from the vehicle.

Over the next few minutes, they both conversed with the offender, seeking information to relay to emergency communications.

As more police officers arrived, the car was cordoned off. Scott remained at the scene, assisting in keeping people away and evacuating nearby homes, while Jim and another officer transported the offender to Christchurch Central.

Tarrant later admitted that when he was arrested, he was on his way to attack a mosque in Ashburton, 90 km southwest of Christchurch. He also told the police that there were "nine more shooters", and that there were "like-minded" people in Dunedin, Invercargill, and Ashburton, but when interviewed later, he confirmed that he had acted alone.