Terrified driver caught up in pursuit
An Auckland motorist was left shaken and scared after being caught in the middle of a police pursuit that ended in a car crash early yesterday.
“He would’ve smashed into me,” Renee June told the Herald.
June was on Lincoln Rd at 5am when the incident unfolded.
“I was driving to work and stopped at the lights by the Mobil petrol station.
“I saw a lot of police cars coming from the opposite side.
“Then another car with no lights came speeding — I thought it was going to crash into me.
“But it didn’t, it crashed into the car next to me.”
June said she was scared because the man looked very angry and kept trying to drive the car further.
“His back end was blocking my car, and my car was in his way I think.
“He was a big built guy and he was angry. It was really scary.”
June said before this crash, the driver had hit another car.
“I just drove my car to the opposite side where the police were.
A man was taken to hospital after a pursuit from Epsom ended dramatically with a collision with a police car.
After the crash police put a large cordon in place. Motorists faced major delays in roads around Massey and Henderson as Northwestern Motorway ramps were closed until 11.20am.
Police confirmed they were initially called to an incident just before 5am where a person had attempted to steal a vehicle by allegedly showing a gun at a driver on Gillies Avenue.
“After the failed attempt, the offender has then got into another stolen vehicle and left the area.”
A Police Eagle helicopter has then followed the car to an address on Cedar Heights Avenue in Massey, West Auckland.
“At the property, the offender has attempted to evade the Eagle crew observing from above — but instead was allegedly seen getting into another vehicle.
“A pursuit was engaged and he has allegedly driven this vehicle at speed; entering the motorway network on Royal Rd. Spikes were successfully deployed on the on-ramp.
“The offender has continued to travel at speed and exited the motorway at Lincoln Rd. At this point, he has allegedly driven at two members of the public and attempted to steal their vehicles.”
Superintendent Naila Hassan said a police car arrived at the scene then and collided with the offender.
A 37-year-old man suffered serious injuries and was been taken to Auckland City Hospital where he remains under a police guard.
Officers found a gun inside the stolen vehicle the man had earlier been travelling in from Epsom, police said.
Hassan confirmed several investigations are being made into the circumstances of the incident.
A Preston Ave resident earlier said he could see police cars parked in his street.
At least two vehicles had been involved in a crash on the corner of Triangle and Lincoln Rds with another vehicle stopped outside a petrol station.
Several police cars surrounded that particular vehicle and one — a dog handler’s wagon — has suffered some damage to its front bumper.