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Roads north of Wellington were closed this morning as police chased a wanted man on the motorway, with the fleeing driver getting his vehicle stuck on a bank.
“About 7am, a vehicle of interest was seen in the Waikanae area and tracked to Te Horo. Cordons were setup while police, led by the Armed Offenders Squad, worked to locate the vehicle,” a police spokesman said.
“About 8.45am, it was seen by officers at a checkpoint on Old State Highway 1 (Riverbank Rd). The vehicle fled, reversing into a car driven by a member of the public, who thankfully was unharmed.
“The vehicle crashed a short time later on Old State Highway 1 and a man was taken into custody. He is being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.”
A 35-year-old man was arrested and the Old State Highway was reopened, but police expect traffic management will be put in place later to recover the vehicle.
A crew working near the incident saw the car being pursued by police stopping on the motorway off-ramp before trying to make a break for it, one man said.
“The police had a car chase on the old Ōtaki road south of Ōtaki,” he told the Herald.
The pursued car came to a stop on the off-ramp before the driver decided to try driving over the railway lines and over a bank, unsuccessfully.
“He got over them down to the bank... down the bank into a hole,” he said. “He was never going to get there.”
The man said a police car was damaged and the man has been arrested. The car used to flee police was now on a tow truck, he said.
Police and firefighters are on the scene.
The New Zealand Transport Agency earlier warned motorists the northbound Ōtaki Gorge Rd off-ramp approaching Ōtaki on State Highway 1 was closed due to a police operation.
“Old SH1 approaching Ōtaki is also currently CLOSED,” NZTA wrote on social media.
Commuters on Facebook described the area. “Looks like they really want a chat with this person - lot of spikes and police around,” one woman wrote.
A photo posted online showed police, Armed Offenders Squad officers, and firefighters on a stretch of highway.
