Fleeing driver rams police and family cars in Far North

Police arrest a motorbike rider on Raumanga Valley Rd after a chase. Photo / Supplied

Two men have been arrested after fleeing drivers led police on chases in Northland, with one pursuit seeing a police car rammed.

Police arrested a man who lead them on a chase through central Whangarei streets on a motorbike, yesterday. And a 45-year-old Mangonui man was arrested after leading officers on a chase in the Far North that saw a police vehicle rammed and damaged, injuring a police officer.

The police car that was rammed during a chase in the Far North yesterday. PHOTO / PETER JACKSON

A man left a trail of damaged vehicles, including a police four-wheel-drive, behind him as he burst through an attempted police stop at Lake Ohia yesterday. The man, in a Toyota Hilux, was pursued by police as he travelled south on Inland Rd, on the Karikari Peninsula, after he had been clocked at 136km/h, about 2.45pm.

As he approached a bridge on the intersection with State Highway 10 he found it blocked by a car occupied by an Auckland couple and their two children, aged 6 and 7, which was waiting on the bridge as police were laying road spikes.

The remains of the road spikes at the junction of SH10 and Inland Rd after the speeding driver refused to stop. PHOTO / PETER JACKSON

The ute smashed into the trailer the Pope family were towing three times, forcing the tow bar through the rear of the car and into the boot, the driver reversing each time to enable him to gather speed.

The police four-wheel-drive behind him was struck as he reversed with sufficient force to destroy the vehicle's front left corner, despite the officer also reversing.

The ute finally got past the family's car, which suffered four flat tyres, and another on the trailer, courtesy of the spikes, before clipping another vehicle on the front right corner and heading east on SH10. It got another 2km, to Black Quarry, before two flat tyres brought it to a halt.

Wendy Pope said she and her family were heading home to Auckland, after spending time at their bach, when they found themselves sandwiched between the ute and the road spikes. She and her family were unhurt, but their car suffered significant damage.

Police said a pursuit was initiated but abandoned due to the manner of dangerous driving.
An officer sustained minor injuries and received medical treatment at the scene.

A 45-year-old Mangonui man was arrested and charged with assault with a blunt instrument, failing to stop, recklessly causing injury, possession of drug utensils and possession of an offensive weapon and was held in custody overnight to appear in the Kaitaia District Court today.

The Whangarei rider was spotted on Walton St about 12.26pm yesterday and failed to stop and continued to the Central Ave area before heading into Fourth Ave.

After riding through some properties the man on the bike then headed down Central Ave onto Maunu Rd and then south onto State Highway 1.

It was a quick right-hand turn into Raumanga Valley Rd, passed North Tech before he stopped the bike and was arrested — about five minutes after he was allegedly first signalled to stop.

A nearby resident said he heard a terrible noise of "sirens screaming". Then it went silent.

"I jumped up and went and had a look and saw two police officers on a guy. Then they put him in the car."

Police were interviewing a 25-year-old man, from Waipapa, in relation to the bike pursuit and charges were to be laid.