Police used 111 calls to track a fleeing driver, who was arrested after allegedly crashing into two innocent motorists at ?haupō yesterday.
Inspector Hywel Jones, Waikato Acting District Commander praised the multiple people who called 111 to report a vehicle’s dangerous driving.
“Those members of the public not only helped us locate and track a stolen vehicle that was being driven dangerously, they’ve potentially saved lives. Thankfully there were no serious injuries following yesterday’s incident, but it’s a miracle there weren’t other crashes based on the information we were getting.”
The incident began about 11.15am in Huntly, when officers were responding to several reports of dangerous driving. After initially spotting the suspect vehicle travelling towards Hamilton on the Waikato Expressway, Police lost sight of the car.
Reports from the public at 12pm led Police to Pine Avenue in Hamilton, then State Highway 3 at ?haupō five minutes later.
“Officers have monitored the car for several minutes and then signalled the driver to stop. He’s continued driving, so other units laid road spikes further down State Highway 3.
“In an attempt to avoid the spikes, the fleeing driver nearly collided with a member of the public’s vehicle.”
Inspector Jones said a pursuit was authorised about 12.10pm, but less than a minute later, at the West Road intersection, the fleeing driver crashed into two other vehicles being driven by members of the public.
“Thankfully, neither of those innocent drivers was injured, and somehow the alleged driver of the fleeing vehicle was also unharmed. He fled the scene on foot, but was tracked by a Police dog and arrested at 12.15pm.
“I want to thank those people who called 111 when they saw this horrendous driving – those calls were critical for us and helped us locate the alleged driver and ultimately arrest him.
“It’s only down to luck that we aren’t dealing with a death as a result of this driving, and a large part of that has been down to fast-thinking people picking up the phone.”
The 19-year-old driver has been charged with failing to stop for police, unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, and failing to stop or ascertain injury. He is scheduled to appear in Hamilton District Court on 27 June.
State Highway 3 at the intersection with West Road was closed for several hours while the Serious Crash Unit conducted a scene examination. The road has since reopened.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre.?