Northland man Blake Herbert jailed for reckless, high-speed pursuit through Auckland

A man who led up to 20 police cars on a reckless, citywide chase before being cornered in a mall carpark and pulled from his vehicle has been blasted by a judge for his “stupid” actions.

Blake Herbert, 32, was on bail and high on methamphetamine when he sparked the Auckland pursuit on January 28.

Today, he was given a stern word by Judge Gene Tomlinson in Whangārei District Court.

“Drug driving is dumb, drug driving is stupid, and drug driving ... all it does is risk your life and others’. It’s selfish,” the judge told him.

The court heard the Northland man was driving a blue Subaru with false number plates towards Auckland City on the day of the incident.

Police tried to approach the vehicle around Western Springs but Herbert drove off at speed and a pursuit ensued.

He led multiple patrol cars through central Auckland suburbs and the central city, before heading towards Three Kings and eventually Onehunga.

During the chase, he drove on the wrong side of the road while reaching speeds of up to 100km/h.

Police swarmed the vehicle at Onehunga Dress Smart shopping centre after a pursuit across Auckland.

Herbert eventually drove into the Dress Smart Onehunga carpark, where a bystander filmed him being surrounded by police and pulled from his vehicle.

Three patrol cars were reportedly damaged and, at the time of the incident, a witness told NZME Herbert was “pummelled” during the “vicious” arrest.

The witness claimed “aggressive” force was used and Herbert was left covered in blood.

NZME understands the Independent Police Conduct Authority was looking into the arrest.

In court, Herbert faced charges that included reckless driving, driving while disqualified, failing to stop and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.

He was also found to have been driving with meth in his system at the time of the chase, and had earlier stolen a $7000 bike.

The court heard he had been on bail at the time for his involvement in an August 2024 kidnapping and aggravated robbery in Whangārei.

For those charges, he has pleaded guilty and is awaiting a potential restorative justice conference with the victims before he can be sentenced.

On the sentencing for the driving incident, Judge Tomlinson said Herbert had “no business driving”.

The judge said Herbert was the third person in a week to come before him for drug driving.

He called it “dumb” and “selfish” and referred to a New Zealand Transport Agency campaign that captured how drug drivers’ passengers often ended up dead.

Judge Tomlinson said Herbert’s criminal history was appalling and he had spent about half of his life in prison.

“You have offences committed every year for the last 18 years and it is no surprise to me when I read [in reports] ‘state care, mum died’,” he said.

Herbert told report writers: “If Mum were here, I wouldn’t be where I am today.”

Judge Tomlinson said although he understood Herbert’s position, he needed to start taking agency for his life.

“You are your own person, you can make the right choices ... it can’t always be for me to hold you responsible by the sentences I impose on you.”

Herbert was sentenced to 13 months’ imprisonment and disqualified from driving. He will return to court at a later date for sentencing on the kidnapping matter.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.