Narrow escape for woman after police chase crash

A woman narrowly escaped injury when a man being chased by police rammed a squad car then flipped his own vehicle on top of the woman’s car.

The woman, 47, saw what was happening and ducked in time to avoid major injury, said Inspector Richard Wilkie.

The chase happened the same day the Independent Police Complaints Authority released its findings into an earlier fatal high-speed police pursuit in the same police district.

About 10.30am yesterday police spotted a vehicle in Te Kauwhata that had been taken from a rental company a month earlier and not returned. Soon after police stopped in Pokeno.

But before police got to the driver’s side of the car it sped away, Wilkie said.

Police chased it for 28 kilometres along the southern motorway before it took the Takanini off-ramp, driving a short distance through suburban streets before making a U-turn. The driver rammed a police car, smashing the driver’s side, but the impact was enough to lift and flip it onto a car driven by the Manurewa woman.

‘‘She had a bit of a sore shoulder but she’s thankful that she saw this all unfolding and was able to avert away from any serious accident or Wilkie said.

The police officer in the car that was hit was not injured.

The driver of the stolen car, 36, was arrested on several driving charges.

He was due to appear in court today on 18 other unrelated charges.

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