Police pursuit ends in crash

File photo / Martin Sykes

A man is in hospital after crashing on Auckland's Southern Motorway at the end of a high-speed police chase this morning.

Inspector Danny Meade of the police northern communications centre said the pursuit began about 9am after an officer in Herne Bay spotted a car reported stolen in the North Shore suburb of Glenfield earlier this morning.

Mr Meade said the police car was following the stolen vehicle but was waiting for backup to arrive and had not instigated a pursuit until the stolen vehicle began to speed.

The vehicle headed along Curran St to the northbound on-ramp at the southern end of Auckland Harbour Bridge and headed north at speed, Mr Meade said.

"It was going 140km/h much of the way but got down to 80km/h at times where the motorway was down to one lane due to road works," he said.

The car then left the motorway at the Oteha Valley Rd exit, about 15km north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge, before getting onto the motorway heading south.

It then went a further 20km, including a return trip back over Auckland Harbour Bridge, before crashing in the fast lane near the Market Rd off-ramp,

"It got close to another car there at one point but the pursuit remained within our parameters throughout," Mr Meade said.

The driver was taken to Auckland Hospital to be checked over after he complained of chest pains.

Once those checks are made he would be charged with a number of offences related to the stolen vehicle and his driving.

Mr Meade said there was also suspicion the driver might be under the influence of alcohol but the tests had not been made as yet due to the hospital checks.

The Southern Motorway was closed for about 15 minutes around the crash scene while arrangements were made to clear the vehicle.

- NZPA