The stolen vehicle that was crashed on Fenton St injuring two people in March. Photo / File
The stolen vehicle that was crashed on Fenton St injuring two people in March. Photo / File
Driving a ute he'd just stolen with a group of his friends, Te Taane Rota led police on a dangerous high-speed day-time chase that ended when he flipped his vehicle on Fenton St, crashing into two others.
Just moments earlier he had driven up Fenton St on the wrong sideof the road, zig-zagging through about 20 vehicles to avoid a head-on collision.
Details of the crash that happened on the busy main road into Rotorua on the afternoon on March 2 can now be revealed after court documents were released to the Rotorua Daily Post.
Rota, 19, from Rotorua, has pleaded guilty to a range of charges relating to crimes he committed on that day. The charges include burglary, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, failing to stop for police, dangerous driving, reckless driving and failing to stop to ascertain injury.
The scene after a stolen vehcile crashed and flipped on Fenton St in March this year. Photo / File
A police summary of facts said Rota and four others, including two men and two youths, went to a man's Sunnybrook house about 1pm on Tuesday, March 2.
The group were travelling in a Mazda Bounty ute belonging to one of them. They drove down the man's driveway and parked next to his Toyota Hilux.
The summary said the five entered the man's garage and rummaged through it, gathering items to steal including motocross attire, a Stanley socket set, a high-powered water blaster and a CR250 motocross bike.
They put the items in the back seat of the man's Hilux ute and the motocross bike and the water blaster were loaded and secured to the back of their Mazda Bounty.
The man was asleep at home when the burglary started but he woke up and called the police when he heard noises outside.
After stealing a vehicle, he led police on a dangerous chase before crashing on Fenton St. Photo / File
The summary said Rota and one of the youths got into the Hilux and reversed it, pulling in behind the Mazda Bounty. The convoy of vehicles drove down the driveway and on to the road, where they were met by a police patrol car.
The police car tried to block the vehicles from leaving but Rota veered evasively, mounting the kerb to drive off, the summary said.
Not long afterwards, another police patrol car spotted Rota driving the stolen Toyota Hilux east on Malfroy Rd.
The summary said the officer drove behind the Hilux and activated their flashing lights and siren.
Rota failed to stop and continued to drive along Malfroy Rd, turning right on to Fenton St on the wrong side of the road.
The summary said Fenton St is a four-lane main arterial route into Rotorua and at this time of day traffic was heavy.
About 20 oncoming drivers along Fenton St had to take evasive action to avoid colliding with Rota's vehicle.
He then zig-zagged in and out of the lanes to try and avoid the oncoming vehicles in an attempt to flee police. He was driving the wrong way up Fenton St for just over 30 seconds, travelling about 500m.
Rota drove along several other suburban streets for a number of kilometres while police were driving behind with their lights and sirens activated.
The summary said Rota then headed east along Malfroy Rd, again approaching the Fenton St intersection.
There were two vehicles that were stationary on the left of the give way sign at the intersection of Malfroy Rd and Fenton St. A bus was in the left-hand lane to turn left on to Fenton St. A car was in the right-hand lane, intending to cross the southbound lanes of Fenton St to head north.
Rota crossed on to the wrong side of Malfroy Rd to overtake those vehicles and entered Fenton St at speed and without checking for through traffic.
The stolen vehicle that was crashed on Fenton St injuring two people in March. Photo / File
He crashed into the side of a car driven by a man heading north along Fenton St. The man was knocked unconscious for a short time and suffered a cut to his forehead that later needed stitches.
The summary said the speed and force of the crash caused the struck car to travel across the northbound lane and hit a vehicle that was stationary in the southbound lane of Fenton St, waiting to turn right into Malfroy Rd.
That vehicle, which had a woman and her two-month-old baby inside, was then shunted across the southern lanes of Fenton St, the summary said.
Rota lost control of the ute in the crash and it flipped onto its side. Rota and the youth immediately jumped out of the vehicle and ran across Fenton St and down Ti St, failing to check on the condition of the people in the vehicles they crashed into.
As they ran, they discarded clothing in an attempt to disguise their appearance and dropped a hammer, the summary said. They were found a short time later on Malfroy Rd.
The stolen Hilux was valued at $6000 and was extensively damaged and the two vehicles that were struck were also extensively damaged.
The water blaster, motocross bike, motocross attire and Stanley set are valued at about $8000 and were recovered by police.
Rota has been remanded in custody to reappear in the Rotorua District Court for sentencing on July 30.
The other two men and the youths have been dealt with by the court.
