Traffic chaos: Major delays after police incident on Auckland motorway

Southbound traffic on Auckland's Southern Motorway ground to a halt last night as police dealt with a fleeing motorist.

Around 4.50pm police were called to a crash between a truck and a car on the Southern Motorway near the Mountain Rd overbridge.

Police took one of the drivers back to the patrol base at Ellerslie, but while the officer was waiting for the gate to open, the man jumped out of the police car and ran away towards the Main Highway overbridge.

Police closed the motorway to southbound traffic between Greenlane and Ellerslie around 6pm as a safety precaution, they said.

Traffic was at a standstill while police dealt with the situation, with one motorist reporting that she didn't move from her stationary position in traffic for 25 minutes. "It is crazy on the motorway," she said.

Another motorist witnessed police cars weaving through the jam.

While long queues of vehicles lined up along the motorway, stretching back to Victoria Park in Auckland CBD at one point, the cordoned-off area was deserted of cars.

It took police around 50 minutes before the man was taken into custody and the motorway was reopened.

Police thanked motorists for their patience.