Pōkeno crash: Man charged after stolen car crashes into innocent driver while fleeing police

• A 42-year-old man has been charged after a stolen car drove into another vehicle in Pōkeno, Waikato.
• The injured driver remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.
• The man appeared in Auckland District Court today, charged with dangerous driving causing injury and driving while disqualified.

A man has been charged after a stolen car crashed into an innocent driver in the Waikato town of Pōkeno on Saturday, leaving the victim with serious injuries.

The crash occurred on State Highway 2 (SH2) when the fleeing car attempted to avoid road spikes and swerved directly into the path of the oncoming car.

Police said the accused was first spotted on traffic cameras on Dominion Rd about 1.20pm. When police tried getting him to pull over, he allegedly sped away on the wrong side of the road.

The police Eagle helicopter tracked the driver’s movements through central Auckland and on to the Southern Motorway.

The driver went south down the motorway to SH2.

Police said they threw road spikes down on the highway twice, but he successfully dodged them the first time, and crashed into a member of the public when dodging the next attempt about 3pm.

Acting Counties Manukau District Commander Inspector Jared Pirret said the member of the public initially suffered critical injuries and remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition.

The fleeing driver also suffered injuries and was transported to hospital.

The 42-year-old man appeared in Auckland District Court today, charged with dangerous driving causing injury and driving while disqualified.

“We would like to acknowledge the impact this incident had on those involved,” Pirret said.

“We are providing support to everyone affected, and there are now several investigations under way, including a critical incident investigation and a policy, practice, and procedure investigation.

“As is standard procedure, the Independent Police Conduct Authority has also been notified.”

Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.