Rush-hour police pursuit has drivers dodging car fleeing on wrong side of road

The car was spotted in Bawden Rd but fled to Albany Westfield where a person was arrested. Photo / Google Maps

Motorists were forced to take evasive action as a vehicle fleeing police drove on the wrong side of the road in a chase through rush-hour traffic in Auckland this morning.

Cars hastily pulled over to the side of the road as a Toyota Hilux sped through Albany on Auckland's North Shore with up to half a dozen police cars trailing it.

One motorist described seeing the vehicle coming directly into his path on the Albany-Coatesville Highway.

The landscaper said he was driving north up the hill just past the village hotel when he was forced to swerve off the road to avoid a crash.

"I turned the corner and a huge Hilux was coming down the road towards me on my side of the road.

"I swerved off to the side of the road and so did the guy in the car behind me."

The landscaper said up to half a dozen police cars were chasing the vehicle.

The other side of the road was banked up with rush hour traffic heading in to the city at the time.

"I could see the dust coming out of his tyres - that's how fast he was going."

Police said they had tried to stop a vehicle in Bawden Rd, Dairy Flat about 9.05am.

The vehicle sped off, but the chase was abandoned when the fleeing vehicle began driving dangerously.

A police helicopter kept an eye on the vehicle from the air.

The wanted vehicle finally stopped at the Westfield Mall in Albany and the driver was arrested, a police spokeswoman said.