One of the suspects is treated by St John medics for a leg injury.
One of the suspects is treated by St John medics for a leg injury.
Two teenagers have appeared in court in relation to a dramatic chase and crash in which a police officer was seconds from being seriously hurt or even killed.
Taiwhanga Niha, 19, of Pipiwai, appeared in the Kaikohe District Court on Tuesday charged with unlawfully getting into a Mazda Bounty ute,burglary of a building on Waimate North Rd near Kerikeri, and stealing a woman's handbag in Paihia.
All three charges relate to incidents on Saturday. He was jointly charged with the burglary and theft with a 16-year-old from Whangarei.
The 16-year-old appeared in the Kaikohe Youth Court and cannot be named because of his age. He also faces a raft of charges in relation to Monday's police pursuit and crash, including reckless driving, driving while forbidden, failing to stop, and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.
He was bailed to a Whangarei address under a 24-hour curfew and is due back in youth court on October 20. Niha was bailed to a Pipiwai address and is due back in court on October 28.
The drama began on Monday morning when a Kaikohe resident recognised a stolen Mazda Bounty ute from a post on the Northland Grapevine page. Police chased it to Puketona Junction where it ran over road spikes and lost control about 500m further north, hitting the side of a bridge then ramming a parked police car.
The officer had just taken a second set of spikes from the boot when he heard the out-of-control ute smash into the bridge. It missed him by seconds and shunted his patrol car down a seven-metre bank.
It is understood one of the offenders tried to attack police and had to be restrained with help from a member of the public. The only injuries in the crash, a gash to one leg, were suffered by the 16-year-old.
