Police hunting wanted man before fatal crash
Police were hunting for one of New Zealand’s most wanted men when an associate fled police in a car, killing himself and two others.
Lewis Popata, 29, has a warrant out for his arrest and remains on the run.
It is understood Popata was an associate of Phillip Stretch, 33, who died when a car he was a passenger in crashed while fleeing police on State Highway 6 at Hope, south of Nelson, about 5.40am on March 11.
The car’s driver, Johnathan Tairakena, and innocent motorist Carmen Marie Yanko, 53, died in the crash.
Police posted a photo of Popata on Facebook on March 20, which said he had a warrant for his arrest after failing to appear in court.
Tasman district commander Superintendent Mike Johnson earlier said the chase with Tairakena and Stretch began after police tried to stop a vehicle while looking for a wanted person on Gladstone Rd in Richmond.
The Press has learned that man was Popata – and that Popata is one of police’s most sought suspects.
It is not known what charges Popata is sought on.
Stretch previously killed Jamie Kelly, 19, in a booze-fuelled car crash in 2001 and was wanted for dishonesty-related offending when the March 11 crash occurred.
At age 17, he spent two-and-a-half years in prison for killing Kelly.
He and Tairakena, 25, were wellknown criminals and disqualified from driving.
After the March 11 pursuit started, the vehicle kept going, overtook a truck, moved onto the wrong side of the road and collided with a vehicle travelling north, Johnson said at the time.
‘‘Tragically three people have died as a result, two of the deceased were from the fleeing vehicle and the third person was an innocent member of the public,’’ he said.
Police pursued the car for about 6 kilometres and were still chasing the fleeing driver when they crashed head-on with Yanko’s vehicle.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority was notified and the incident would be investigated internally. The crash sparked questions about whether police should pursue fleeing vehicles.
Johnson said it was too early to say whether police made the right call pursuing the vehicle and would not comment on whether pursuits should be carried out.
He said police had ‘‘very stringent procedures’’ that governed when they did and did not pursue vehicles. ‘‘These are high-risk, highimpact events, I would ask that people when signalled by police to stop, pull over and let us conduct whatever business is required at that point,’’ he said.