Inspector Grant Tetzlaff, Auckland City Central Area Commander:

Police have charged a 43-year-old woman in relation to an alleged hate-motivated assault in Queen Street, Auckland in September, as well as a range of other offending in the central city.

The assault occurred on 2 September, on the corner of Queen Street and Scotia Place.

Police made extensive enquiries following the assault, including reviewing CCTV footage from the central city on the day of the assault.

This review of CCTV footage showed several other alleged assaults by the same woman, as she headed north on Queen Street.

Despite the CCTV footage obtained of the woman, Police had until yesterday been unable to identify her.

On Sunday, the Beat Team in Auckland responded to a report of a woman abusing and assaulting staff at a downtown Auckland store.

When a description of the woman was relayed to Auckland officers over the radio channel, the team investigating the 2 September assaults realised it matched the description of the woman they had been trying to identify.

The woman was arrested for the incident at the downtown Auckland store on Sunday, and officers have since been able to identify her as the person allegedly responsible for the offending on 2 September also.

In relation to the offending on 2 September, the woman has been charged with three counts of common assault, two counts of assault with intent to injure, and one of theft.

In relation to the incident at the downtown Auckland store yesterday, the woman has been charged with common assault, drug possession, and three counts of assaulting a police officer.

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