“Police did not pursue and instead maintained a safe distance from the vehicle and placed staff at wider cordons until the vehicle was successfully spiked on a rural road heading towards Taupō.
“The vehicle was driven on its tyre rims until it became undrivable and eventually stopped,” Snr Sgt Munro said.
The three youths — aged 14, 15 and 16 — were arrested and taken into custody.
No one was injured during the incident.
“We take fleeing driver incidents very seriously,” Snr Sgt Munro said.
“In the event we do not pursue at the time due to safety concerns, we make extensive follow-up inquiries to hold those responsible to account.
“In this case, we were fortunate the vehicle had a tracking device.”
Snr Sgt Munro said police were committed to keeping the community safe and would not tolerate dangerous behaviour on the roads, antisocial behaviour, or theft.
“All three youths face a variety of charges — one for breaching bail conditions.
“Inquiries are under way regarding two other vehicles stolen in Gisborne at around the same time as the Toyota, and one of those vehicles has been recovered already.”
All three youths appeared yesterday in the Youth Court.
