Cop hit by car at end of wrong-lane chase

A police officer was hit and sent airborne by a vehicle fleeing police in a ‘‘dangerous’’ pursuit in Auckland at 3am on Friday.

Four people have been arrested, and the officer who was sent flying suffered minor injuries.

Auckland City Police Inspector Grant Tetzlaff said police had tried to stop a stolen Mazda Demio, but the driver took off on the southern motorway.

‘‘The vehicle was driving in a very reckless manner and then began travelling in the wrong direction on the motorway,’’ he said.

Police had to pull out of the pursuit, but a helicopter kept track of the vehicle’s movements.

‘‘The fleeing driver allegedly drove straight at a police officer who was attempting to deploy road spikes, striking the officer with the vehicle and lifting him off the ground,’’ Tetzlaff said.

The vehicle stopped on the motorway, and a male passenger got out of the car and allegedly attempted to steal a van travelling the other way, he said.

‘‘The driver [of the van] was assaulted and police were then able to intervene. The offender was chased and tasered before he was arrested.’’

The remaining three people in the fleeing vehicle sped off, momentarily evading police before the car was spiked on the Northwestern Motorway.

All three were taken into custody.