Driver, 14, charged over crash
A 14-year-old boy has been charged after a car he was driving with eight teenagers inside crashed into a fence and rolled in Canterbury.
The crash happened after police tried to stop the car, a Mazda Demio, at
4.22am on Sunday after it was seen at a petrol station in Rolleston.
A pursuit followed for less than a minute before being abandoned ‘‘due to the nature of driving’’, a police spokesperson said. The crash happened about
20 minutes later.
The teen, who cannot be named due to his age, is charged with failing to stop for police, five charges of dangerous driving causing injury, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and theft of petrol.
He was charged in the Youth Court in Christchurch yesterday and will next appear on June 30.
Eight people were taken to Christchurch Hospital for treatment following the crash. Two of them, 13 and 14-yearold girls, were flown by helicopter.
The 13-year-old passenger had extremely serious leg injuries, while the 14-year-old was in a critical condition in hospital fighting for her life.
Police said yesterday one patient has since been discharged from hospital and another is in a stable condition. Six of the patients requested privacy. At least one of the passengers in the car is believed to be friends with Brooklyn Taylor, a 13-year-old boy from Christchurch who died in January last year when the stolen car he was in fled from police before hitting a tree and exploding in a fireball.
Taylor’s two friends who were with him in the car were also killed.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) said a complaint regarding police conduct prior to the crash last Sunday had been received.