Whangarei police chase ends in car smashing through gate and driver fleeing

Police interview two of the people involved in a police pursuit of a stolen car that ended when it crashed through the front gate of a Maungatapere property. Photo / John Stone

A 13-minute police chase of a stolen vehicle ended with the arrest of a 49-year-old gang member in Northland yesterday.Officers spotted the silver Audi RS3 speeding near Onerahi just before midday and tried to stop it. The vehicle fled but officers on Riverside Drive saw the car again.

Northland police Senior Sergeant Ian Row said the car then travelled through Whangarei and headed towards Dargaville on State Highway 14.

Police used road spikes near Snooks Rd, Maungatapere, where one of the car's tyres deflated and peeled off the rim.

A close-up of the spiked and deflated tyre on a stolen vehicle involved in a police chase. Photo / John Stone

About 400m further along the highway, the car failed to take a left-hand bend, left the road and crashed into a home's front gate. The driver tried tried to run away.

"He has tried to flee but an officer has run him down and arrested him," Row said.

An officer kept three passengers with the vehicle, which stopped in the driveway of the house. The owners were not home.

Row said the plates on the car did not match and it had been stolen in Auckland last month.

A 49-year-old man from Auckland will appear in the Whangarei District Court on numerous driving charges. Police revealed he was also wanted on a warrant for breaching his parole conditions.

A female in her 30s will also appear in court as there was a warrant out for her arrest. Two males, aged 16 and 22, were released without charge.