Driver chased through city till engine blows up

A driver was chased for 10km through Hamilton. Photo / NZPA

A driver in his mid-20s was chased for 10km through Hamilton before he was arrested after his vehicle's engine blew up.

The Cambridge man failed to pull over on Wairere Drive about 11.30am yesterday for a traffic officer who had noticed the low, modified vehicle. A high-speed chase throughout the city followed.

Sirens blared through the east of the city as the black hatchback sped along Wairere Drive before turning along Hukanui Rd on to Brooklyn Rd, back up through Te Aroha St and towards Ruakura Rd.

The car reached speeds of up to 90km/h along residential roads.

The man avoided road spikes set up at various sites around the city but was stopped when the car's engine blew up.

A number of police were involved in the chase and an officer waiting for the car at Te Aroha St followed him to his final stop.

Senior Sergeant Rupert Friend said it was "an idiot driver who shouldn't have been driving a modified car".

Mr Friend said the man was stopped because the car was clearly modified and looked to be "a rough and ready job".

The driver only began speeding when he started to flee the traffic officer.

"There were spikes set up in different locations in case he went that way and he kept turning different directions and not heading towards them."

A man has been charged in relation to the incident and will appear in Hamilton District Court.

It is the second high-speed chase in the city in the past fortnight.

Last month a Wellington teenager was stopped in Tristram St after fleeing from a vehicle check at State Highway 1 near Karapiro and reaching speeds of up to 165km/h.