Five youths are in hospital after crashing into parked cars during a police chase in South Auckland this morning.
A police spokesman said the fleeing vehicle crashed into two unoccupied parked vehicles and flipped on Great South Rd, between Watson Pl and George St.
Five juveniles in the car were taken to Middlemore Hospital. Two were seriously injuried and three suffered moderate injuries.
Police confirmed the five youths involved in this morning's pursuit were aged between 14 and 17.
Manpreet Sidhu said the car driven by the teens had plouged into his friend's parked car which had rear-ended his Nissan Pulsar.
The fleeing vehicle had then flipped and landed on its roof in a front garden destroying a concrete garden wall and bushes.
"When I saw my car I was shocked because it was badly damaged from the back."
He said both cars were parked several houses from where the teenager's vehicle ended up smashing into the garden.
The early morning crash caused widespread disruption in the area during the busy peak hour commute.
Traffic heading down Central Avenue was being diverted from the accident scene which meant businesses in the cordoned stretch of the normally busy main road were not able to open as normal.
"We'll be going back in half an hour to see if we can get through," said a Waters Funerals spokeswoman.
"We can't not open for the day."
Fortunately there were no services scheduled this morning.
Recent police chases involving teenagers include one in November where eight youths ended up facing charges.
Four cars were wrecked in the chase, which involved a stolen car and a Tinder date.
Three Auckland boys arranged a date with a Taupo girl they had met on social media.
Police began a pursuit of a Honda Accord stolen from Hamilton, abandoning the chase before finding the car about 20km north of Taupo.
It was stopped with road spikes, and the car rolled onto its roof.
Three Auckland boys aged 15, 14 and 12 were arrested, as was a 16-year-old girl who escaped police custody only to be found a short time later with four other boys in a crashed and stolen vehicle.
Also in November, five youths aged between 15 and 18 were arrested after the stolen cars they were driving was involved in a police chase.
Two of the teenagers were hospitalised when the car crashed.
In early November again, a 15-year-old boy led police on a half-hour chase around Christchurch before the car ran out of petrol.
And last Wednesday a 17-year-old unlicensed driver led police on a 2.5km car chase through Westport at speeds of up to 80km/h, ending near Buller High School.
The driver will appear in Westport District Court on Thursday on charges of failing to stop and driving without a licence.
The Police Association would like to see a campaign targeted at teenagers who think it's a good idea to run from officers.
Late last night a stolen car with seven people aged 11 to 16 crashed during a pursuit in Whanganui, critically injuring one.