KEY POINTS:
The father of a South Korean student struck down in a hit-and-run during a police chase is due in Auckland tomorrow.
He will be accompanied by a professor from the Korean university that the student, named only as Mr Choi, is attending, a Korean consulate spokeswoman said today.
Mr Choi, 24, was crossing the Queen St-Mayoral Drive intersection in the central Auckland with friends about 12.30am yesterday when hit by a stolen car driven by a man trying to escape police.
He underwent surgery in Auckland City Hospital yesterday and his condition today was described as critical but stable.
His mother would not be on tomorrow's flight to New Zealand because her shock over the news meant she couldn't travel, the consulate spokeswoman said.
She said the professor was an English-speaker who knew Auckland well, having spent time here.
The consulate has not disclosed Mr Choi's first names or which university he attends.
However, Mr Choi, who has a sister, was described as a bright student who was studying information and communication technology.
He was meant to be flying back to Korea today after a six-week English language course at Otago University.
Police said they were still searching for the driver of the stolen car, who was described as a tall Caucasian with a shaved head and wearing a black wind-breaker-type jacket and jeans.
He abandoned the car on the corner of Emily Place and Customs St, about 1.5km away, a short time after the crash.
Police said they were continuing to examine security camera footage but had not found anything that clearly identified the offender.
"We're still trawling through it," spokeswoman Noreen Hegarty said.
"There is some footage in the area where the car was dumped but in terms of its value to the investigation it's unclear."
A forensic examination had been all but completed on the car, which was stolen on February 3 from a shopping mall carpark in west Auckland.
Detective Inspector Bruce Shadbolt said the police pursuit began after the car was identified as stolen.
He said the pursuit lasted about 25 seconds and was carried out by experienced staff.
It was unclear what speed the car was travelling at other than that it was more than 60km/h.
The incident had been referred to the Independent Police Conduct Authority.
- NZPA
