Police chase: Five arrested after West Auckland pursuit, firearms incident

Five people have been taken into custody after a major police pursuit involving firearms unfolded across West Auckland this afternoon.

Police received a report of an firearms incident at a property on Hillside Rd in Papatoetoe around 12.30pm.

Two cars fled the scene and one was tracked by the police Eagle helicopter as it travelled on the Southern Motorway.

The car, believed to be a stolen maroon Subaru Forester, continued to speed onto the Northwestern motorway.

The driver exited the motorway at Lincoln Rd and police spiked its tyres, but the car continued to travel towards Henderson "recklessly at very high speeds", police said.

Video footage shows a number of police vehicles stopping the driver by barricading him in on Edsel St in Henderson, near the WestCity Mall.

Police swarm a car that was chased through west Auckland after being involved in a firearms incident. Photo / Drew Kelly

Two people fled the scene but were apprehended nearby. Two others were arrested by the car.

A second car identified by the Eagle helicopter was stopped in Auckland City and the driver was taken into custody.

A second car was tracked by the police Eagle helicopter and stopped in Auckland City before the driver was taken into custody. Photo / Alex Burton

Police said one of the officers suffered minor injuries from a police dog and was receiving treatment.

Police said charges were likely.

Rebecca Rodgers was visiting the Chemist Warehouse near WestCity Mall around 1.30pm when she said she saw police officers pulling guns out of the boot of their cars.

She said she saw a maroon-coloured, lowered Subaru Forester with tinted windows barricaded in and a police car that had been crashed into.

A car fitting that description was reported missing from Manurewa this morning, according to the 685 island model Facebook page.

A spokesperson for the page said he "felt bad" for the owner, who had already reported the stolen vehicle.

It was allegedly taken from the Manurewa Countdown carpark around 9am.

In a video posted to Facebook, Rodgers said it was "absolute chaos" in Henderson and "police are everywhere".

Five people have been arrested after a police pursuit across West Auckland this afternoon. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Kirsten was driving to a walk-in clinic get the Covid-19 vaccine when she saw the maroon Subaru crashing into other vehicles as it sped up the road.

She positioned her car behind a bus out of fear the driver would crash into her.

"[It] was swerving, hitting everything in its sight," Kirsten said.

She then saw multiple police cars crash into the Subaru in what appeared to be an attempt to stop it.

"It was pretty scary," she told the Herald. "I felt bad for the cops."

She said the whole bumper had broken off the front of the Subaru and was "dangling" in front.

The driver of a second car was taken into custody following a firearms incident in Papatoetoe. Photo / Hayden Woodward

Liam Brady said three police cars were chasing the Subaru when it smashed into the curb on Vitasovich Ave and travelled around 50 metres.

He said another seven police cars drove through a roundabout and "spun" the Subaru around. Two dog units were also there.

Police officers were holding pistols and wearing face masks, he told the Herald.

The driver "put his hands up straight away" while others in the car "tried to run away".

"It was shocking, I guess. It was all very loud, very tumultuous."

Liam said the area around the WestCity Mall attracted "quite a lot of local crime".