Walker said police pursued the car “for a brief period” before the driver returned again to the station, where he was spoken to from inside his vehicle by officers.
The man then drove off again, Walker said at this stage officers had concerns for the man’s welfare.
By 11.30pm, the car had been located on Barnard St and police attempted to stop the driver by spiking the vehicle’s tyres.
Following this, the driver then turned back to drive in the direction of the local Police Station.
The driver “struck the building at speed” and died at the scene, Walker said.
“Police will be working to support the man’s family today, along with our Timaru Police whānau,” she said in a statement.
“The station will remain open to serve the community today.”
The Serious Crash Unit examined the scene following the incident and inquiries are ongoing, Walker said, the Independent Police Conduct Authority has been notified of what happened.
Photos from the scene show a badly crumpled vehicle under a blue tarpaulin, while the corner of the police station building is damaged.
Photojournalist George Heard said a local resident had told him he’d heard tires screeching and police sirens all around the town for almost an hour.
Just hours later, a second crash further north in Christchurch resulted in the death of one person and left three others hospitalised with injuries.
Emergency services were called to the scene of a crash in Harewood after a car collided with a power pole.
The car was travelling near the vicinity of Christchurch airport on Greywacke Rd when it crashed just after 1am, Police said they are continuing to make inquiries into the incident.
