- A former NRL star was arrested on Saturday
- It came after a brief foot chase with police.
A former NRL star was reportedly arrested following an alleged foot chase with police in Sydney on Saturday night.
Former Bulldogs and Penrith star Arana Taumata was taken into custody by police at approximately 10.30pm after being approached by officers over several outstanding warrants, according to news corporation.
Police say the 35-year-old man had escaped from officers but was eventually arrested outside an eastern suburbs pub after a short chase.
A 29-year-old man allegedly hit his head during the incident and suffered a cut. The officer was taken to the hospital in stable condition.
News Corp says the former Penrith and Bulldogs star is charged with four counts of domestic violence.
The outlet adds that he was also accused of impeding and resisting a police officer in the line of duty.
The former footballer appeared at Parramatta court on Sunday where he was refused bail. He will now remain in preventive detention.
It comes after arrest warrants were issued for him in June. Taumata, who was born in New Zealand, had been convicted of seven offenses in absentia and pleaded not guilty to fraud, handling the proceeds of crime, common assault and intimidation.
News Corp says he will appear in court on those charges this week.
Taumata, who also represented New Zealand Māori, made his NRL debut with the Canterbury Bulldogs in 2008.
Arana Taumata was reportedly arrested following a foot chase with police on Saturday night.
Police say the 35-year-old man ran away from officers but was eventually arrested outside an eastern suburbs pub after a short chase.
Taumata enjoyed a brief NRL career with Canterbury, Penrith and the Cowboys.
He would later join the Melbourne Storm, but was sacked by the club without playing a single game, following a “physical altercation” in the city.
Taumata would later be signed by Wests Tigers and play for the Queensland Cowboys, before joining Penrith on a one-year contract in 2011.
He would make two appearances for Penrith before leaving the club in 2013.
He had stated that “he had no support from the club.” . . “I was disappointed in many ways.”
Over the course of his playing career, he would play 14 first grade matches in the NRL.
Earlier this year, Taumata made headlines after saving a young woman in distress in Brisbane.
It came after the 35-year-old was out on a lunchtime run but sprang into action when he saw a woman lying on the ground after being confronted by a man who had knocked her down.
In recent years, Taumata has become a running and fitness influencer on social media and has 24,500 followers on Instagram.
