Police officer run over in crime chase

Children as young as 11 in stolen car

Agroup of eight children, some as young as 11, were involved in a dramatic cross country crime dash in stolen vehicles that saw a motorist injured and a police officer run over.

The shocking incident, which occurred on Saturday around 5pm, stretched from Waikato to the north of Auckland in an episode that was described by one police source as “mayhem”.

Waitematā District Commander Superintendent Naila Hassan said an off duty police officer witnessed a number of youths, aged between 11 and 17, abandon a stolen vehicle in Takanini.

The group of at least eight were then seen breaking into and stealing two more vehicles before fleeing south towards Waikato.

She said two stolen vehicles were spotted exiting at the Te Kauwhata off-ramp where one of the vehicles was spiked by police.

While being monitored by the police Eagle helicopter, the child driving the stolen vehicle crashed into another car, injuring the driver.

That person was airlifted to Waikato Hospital with serious injuries.

Superintendent Hassan told the

Herald the chaos continued when a number of youths fled the crashed car and jumped into the second stolen vehicle.

They then changed direction and headed back to Auckland on State Highway 1 towards Waitematā, she said.

“Police deployed spikes north of the Johnstones Hill Tunnel while the vehicle was travelling in a northerly direction.”

That’s when the driver tried to avoid police before driving into an officer on the side of the road, she said.

“The stolen vehicle has stopped prior to the spikes upon being sighted by the driver.

At this point, the stolen vehicle has turned towards the officer, who was situated to the side of the motorway in the median strip, and driven towards him, striking his arm and knocking him backwards.

“The officer received minor injuries and was lucky to escape serious harm.

The 14-year-old driver was arrested and will appear in Youth Court.

The seven passengers have been referred to Youth Aid.

Police told the Herald the actions of the driver were “calculated and dangerous”.