Teens lead police on dangerous car chase - then post video of it to Facebook

The teens can be heard yelling "f*** the police" on the video they posted to Facebook. Photo / Screengrab

Three teenagers in a stolen car led police in a dangerous chase the wrong way on the country's busiest motorway, and then posted a video of their exploits on Facebook.

Several police cars, a dog unit and the Eagle helicopter were needed to stop the youths, as they drove into oncoming traffic on Auckland's southern motorway late last night.

Police are furious at the teens, saying their behaviour was extremely dangerous and they clearly have no regard for the safety of others.

"We are becoming increasingly frustrated at a lack of accountability on behalf of the parents and caregivers of these young people," said inspector Bruce O'Brien, the Area Prevention Manager for the Manurewa police.

"We've seen seen an increase in this sort of behaviour in the past nine to 12 months. They are committing serious offending and placing the community, themselves and police at risk"

"It's only a matter of time until someone gets killed."

Inspector O'Brien said the chase began when officers tried to stop the teens after spotting them in a stolen car last night.

The youths refused to stop when police activated flashing lights, and then drove at high speed onto the southern motorway, going south in the northbound lane.

In the video, the teens can be heard saying "F*** the police" as the lights of oncoming cars speed by them. What appears to be alcohol is at a girl's feet, and there are weapons in the car.

Sirens can be heard in the background as the car speeds faster.

The video ends as the car appears to break down.

Inspector O'Brien said the driver, a 16-year-old boy, was arrested but the other two passengers escaped. Police are working to track them down this morning.

The chase had to be abandoned several times to avoid further putting the public at risk. It was resumed when it was safe to do so, Mr O'Brien said.

"There are countless examples of members of the public being caught up and injured during chases, so we wanted it to be safe."

He said staff had done an outstanding job in a complex situation, but police were getting extremely frustrated in seeing more examples of risky behaviour carried out after youths met up on social media.

He said teens were meeting up online and then stealing multiple vehicles, travelling in convoys and carrying out serious crimes such as ram raids, assaults and aggravated robberies.

"We see them travelling around Auckland and meeting up with other offenders. They're coming from as far afield as the Waikato," Mr O'Brien said.

"We are doing everything we can but the message is that parents and caregivers need to take responsibility."

He said the teens should be at school. "I want to know why not? Who is holding them to account."

"I know it's not always dealing with young people that may have behavioural issues but there are lots of agencies people can turn to," he said.

"If you need assistance there are multiple agencies you can go to. The big issue here is that these young people are putting the community at risk."

The 16-year-old will appear in the youth court today.