Man dies after police pursuit abandoned

A man has died after a police pursuit in the Bay of Plenty overnight yesterday.

Bay of Plenty road policing manager Inspector Brent Crowe said initial indications were that the 27-year-old died after losing control of his vehicle on a sweeping right-hand bend in Whakata¯ ne.

Crowe said it appeared the vehicle left the road at speed, became airborne and struck a large tree.

A second person, a backseat passenger, was taken to Waikato Hospital with critical injuries. A frontseat passenger suffered minor injuries.

Crowe said the deceased driver had been involved in a police pursuit shortly before the crash.

‘‘About 11pm [Saturday] a pursuit was initiated when the driver of a Mazda Familia vehicle failed to stop for police in Whakata¯ ne,’’ Crowe said.

‘‘Within one minute, officers in pursuit determined the vehicle’s excessive speed posed too great a risk to its occupants and the public, and abandoned the pursuit. Approximately four minutes later police located the vehicle in Taneatua Rd, about 6.5 kilometres south of the point of abandonment.’’

The serious crash unit attended and the road was closed until 3.30am.

Crowe said that while police were not pursuing the vehicle when it crashed, the circumstances surrounding both the pursuit and the crash would be thoroughly investigated and the Independent Police Conduct Authority would be notified. No further details will be released until all next-ofkin have been notified.