KEY POINTS:
The man who died when his car slammed into a house after a police pursuit in Palmerston North early yesterday was Peter Joseph Kotsifakis, of Levin.
The 18-year-old failed to stop for police after driving away from a Palmerston North service station without paying just before midnight on Saturday.
Police said he had been involved in a domestic incident earlier in the evening.
Detective Senior Sergeant Craig Sheridan said an 18-year-old woman, known to Mr Kotsifakis, had been admitted to Palmerston North Hospital with serious facial injuries, some time before midnight.
"Hospital staff have contacted police and it was established that the man responsible for inflicting these injuries had taken the female victim's Toyota Levin vehicle," Mr Sheridan said.
The young woman was still in hospital with broken bones in her face and other serious injuries, he said.
The car was spotted by a police patrol car at 1.55am yesterday but did not stop when requested and a short pursuit began.
Mr Kotsifakis failed to stop at the intersection of Featherston St and Vogel St and smashed into the house. He died at the scene.
Mr Sheridan said the patrol car was several hundred metres behind the fleeing vehicle when the crash occurred.
The couple sleeping in the bedroom of the house were "badly shaken" and spent the night in hospital, but their young children in nearby rooms were not hurt.
However, they are traumatised by what happened and are planning to move out of the house.
The serious crash unit and the Independent Police Conduct Authority are investigating the incident.
- NZPA
