KEY POINTS:
A 26-year-old man is to appear in the Waitakere District Court today after a police chase in West Auckland that started at a routine checkpoint.
Constable Greg Wilson of the Henderson strategic traffic unit said there were three people in the car when a police pursuit began about 12.30pm.
The group, in a green Toyota, had tried to turn away from officers checking cars for warrants and registrations.
In an effort to evade police, the car drove up a driveway and crashed into a building on Veronica St, New Lynn. No one was injured in the crash.
Police removed a police radio scanner, and screwdriver and pliers which are often used in burglary and car thefts from the vehicle.
One man, 26, who was arrested at the scene, was wanted by police for failing to appear on "various" drugs and driving charges, Mr Wilson said.
Two other offenders ran away on foot. Police dogs and the police Eagle helicopter were called to track them but they were still on the run last night.
Sandi Stevenson, customer service supervisor at Trethewey Granite & Marble on nearby Portage Rd, said she believed at least one of the offenders stole a van from her employer after the crash.
Ms Stevenson said she saw a man in a white singlet run past her office window just before the van was stolen.
"They've come down our driveway and taken one of our vans that had its key in it and taken off."
She did not see the crash but believed it must have occurred nearby. "One of the clients said they heard a crash and then a police dog come after."
Police said it was too early to link the van theft with the men on the run.
