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Man who lashed out at police while drunk is fined $3,000

A drunken brawl with officers in the Hamilton Police Station cost an American contract worker $3,000 in fines yesterday.Matthew Marshall, 25, pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and one count of driving while impaired.The court heard that officers on duty on Frog Lane, near the venue for the Rugby Classic sporting event, noticed the Pembroke resident staggering with a set of keys in his right hand around 12.40am on Saturday.Marshall told police that he was trying to find his cycle. The officers warned him that he appeared intoxicated and should take a taxi home instead.Marshall agreed, but minutes later officers saw him riding away from the area on a motorcycle, travelling in the wrong lane.Police attempted to pull him over but the defendant ignored their lights and sirens for around a kilometre.He eventually stopped his bike near the Middle Road and Tee Street junction.Marshall fell as he attempted to get off his bike causing it to fall on top of him.He was arrested on suspicion of driving while impaired and taken to the police station, where he became uncooperative and resisted officers as they attempted to search him.He threw punches at the officers and tried to tackle them until he was Tasered.The officers tried to remove the Taser’s barbs however Marshall tore one out himself and took another swing at the officers.The officers then used the Taser on him a second time.Marshall apologised yesterday in Magistrates’ Court.He said the incident was completely out of character and that he recalled very little of it.Lawyer Peter Farge explained that his client was on medication, but had chosen not to take his medication on that day so he could drink.However, he theorised that residual quantities of the prescribed drugs could have reacted with the alcohol, leading to the outburst.Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner said: “You knew of the possible reaction of this drug and alcohol either mixed or remaining in your system and yet you took it upon yourself to drink to an extent that it rendered you foolish.“The police were there. They spoke to you and advised you not to ride.”Mr Warner fined Marshall $2,000 for the two counts of assault and an additional $1,000 for driving while impaired.He was also banned from driving all vehicles for one year.