Flare thrown at cop car as police chase crosses Auckland

More than a dozen police cars were involved in the chase, which ended in Albany when police deployed road spikes. Photo / Supplied

The occupants of a fleeing car threw a flare at police this morning as they attempted to evade officers who were hot on their trail.

By the time those in the car were caught the police Eagle helicopter and the Armed Offenders Squad were involved in a chase that spanned around 45km, from Flat Bush in south Auckland to Albany in the city's north.

A witness said they had counted 13 cop cars speeding up the northern motorway as the chase progressed.

At about 11.20am police in Flat Bush were made aware of a stolen vehicle with suspected links to previous serious offending, a police spokeswoman said.

"Police attempted to pull the vehicle over but the driver failed to stop, and a pursuit was initiated. At one point one of the three occupants in the vehicle threw a flare at the pursuing police car."

Due to the dangerous driving of the fleeing car, the pursuit was abandoned and the police Eagle helicopter was called in to monitor from above as the car drove north on the Southern motorway, weaving in and out of lanes, she said.

It kept going onto the Northern motorway, and made it over the Harbour Bridge and all the way to Oteha Valley Rd in Albany, at which point officers had deployed road spikes, bringing the car to a stop.

The offenders tried to flee the vehicle but were quickly apprehended and taken into custody shortly after midday with the help of the Armed Offenders Squad, the spokeswoman said.

Fortunately no one had been injured in the chase, she said.

An epic police chase from Flat Bush to Albany this morning reportedly involved more than a dozen police vehicles. Image / Google