Car thief goes to great lengths to avoid police

File photo

Members of the public helped track down a car thief who went to great lengths to hide from police in Manurewa.

A police unit patrolling Manurewa identified a stolen car at around 9:30am and signalled for it to pull over with sirens and red and blue flashing lights.

The driver did not stop and a pursuit was initiated, with Police following the driver on an extensive tour of suburban Manurewa.

Police laid road spikes in an attempt to stop the vehicle. The driver drove up onto the grass verge in the direction of the attending Police Sergeant, narrowly missing him.

The vehicle was spiked and its front left wheel damaged, however the driver continued to flee the pursuing Police unit.

The pursuit was quickly abandoned at this point due to the manner of driving and excessive speed.

Inspector Bruce O'Brien says attending Police units began to search for the stolen car around the area it was last seen.

"It was at this point that members of the public came to our assistance and began to point Police units in the direction that the stolen vehicle was travelling.

"Police were directed across grass through a reserve and the search entered an industrial area of Wiri. Members of the public continued to direct Police towards the offender, leading to a metal fabrication factory.

"The offender had attempted to disguise his appearance by stripping off layers of clothing and was pretending to work in the factory.

"Unfortunately for him, other employees were suspicious of his appearance and he was quickly apprehended by Police."

The 36-year-old man is facing multiple charges and will appear in Manukau District Court.
"The assistance we received from the public was extremely valuable, allowing us to locate this offender quickly and without further incident. We'd like to thank the people of Manurewa and Wiri who helped us out with this job," says Inspector O'Brien.

The man was arrested.

Police are also interested to hear from anyone who may have seen the stolen car driving towards the Police Sergeant when the road spikes were laid.

This occurred on Roscommon and Wordsworth Roads.

Anyone with information should contact Sergeant Rob Savage of Manurewa Police on 09 261 1300.