An early morning burglary in East Auckland triggered a 90-minute high-speed dash across the city, with three teens taken into custody after weaving in and out of traffic – at times on the wrong side of the road – in an attempt to evade arrest.
Police were alerted to anactive burglary taking place on Moore St, Howick, around 5.30am, after a member of the public saw three people breaking into a store through smashed windows.
The group reportedly threatened a witness with a weapon before fleeing in a stolen vehicle, taking “a number of electronic goods” with them, said Acting Detective Inspector Chris Robson of Counties Manukau.
Police said they quickly located the stolen Toyota Aqua on Chapel Rd in East Tamaki, but the suspects fled at high speed.
The Eagle helicopter tracked the vehicle as it travelled through Ōtara and Flat Bush before heading on to the Southern Motorway, Robson said.
“For the next hour, the vehicle has been driven dangerously on the wrong side of the road and at speed, weaving in and out of traffic through Waitematā and back through to Counties Manukau before it was successfully spiked on Redoubt Rd,” he said.
The 90-minute pursuit began after police were alerted to a trio of teens allegedly burgling an electronics store on Moore St, Howick.
The vehicle came to a stop on Diorella Dr in Clover Park, where three teenagers aged 14 and 15 were arrested.
One of teenagers was taken to hospital after being bitten by a police dog during the arrest.
Charges are now being considered for the three teenagers.
“I acknowledge all the staff involved this morning who worked together to apprehend these offenders,” Robson said.
“It’s also a reminder that quick reporting and providing as much detail as possible greatly assists us in being able to stop offenders in their tracks.”
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