Teen driver charged over police chase crash

A teenage driver who crashed a stolen car during a police chase, injuring all three people inside, has been charged over the incident.

The teenagers are still in hospital following the crash, in which they smashed into a pole in Auckland's North Shore early early yesterday.

A 15-year-old front seat passenger remained in a critical condition and the 15-year-old driver and a 13-year-old back seat passenger were stable, a hospital spokesman said.

The driver had been charged with failing to stop and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, a police spokeswoman said.

More details may be made available later today, she said.

Yesterday, North Shore area commander Inspector Shanan Gray said the period between the police car turning on its lights and the boys' car crashing was very brief.

"The pursuit appears to have lasted less than a minute. Initial indications would say that speed was a factor."

A police patrol car noticed the Subaru the teens were driving was behaving erratically about 12.40am.

They activated their lights and sirens, but the driver failed to stop.

It crashed moments later at an intersection at Takapuna.

The car was allegedly stolen from a Devonport address around midnight, police said.