Car thief caught on the wrong side of the tracks

A man who rammed two cars at a gas station yesterday then sped away from pursuing police was caught when the stolen car he was driving got stuck in railway tracks.

The man, who is believed to be in his 20s, came to police attention when they stopped him in Waitakere in the morning.

He sped off in the red hatchback and police units were asked to keep an eye out for it.

A patrol car driving past the Shell petrol station at Kumeu noticed the stolen car at midday and pulled into the forecourt to try to block it, said police spokesman Jayson Rhodes.

A Shell employee, who wanted to be known only as Bidois, said the man was just getting back into the car after paying $5 for petrol when the police car arrived.

"The cop car pulled in front of him and put his lights on. The guy reversed at high speed, hit a car to his right, went straight forward and hit the cop car."

Bidois said a child aged about 3 was in the man's car but was not buckled in.

The fugitive sped off. The damaged police car pursued him but could not travel very far.

Mr Rhodes said the police Eagle helicopter followed the stolen vehicle as a second patrol car gave chase.

It eventually gave up the pursuit for safety reasons but police caught up with the man when he drove down a side road and the car became stuck in railway tracks.

The man, who is expected to face numerous charges, was last night being interviewed by police. The child was collected by relatives.

Bidois said the rammed police car looked to have a cracked radiator and damaged front bumper. The other car had minor scratches.