A teenager suffered a serious head injury after crashing a car while fleeing police.
The incident occurred after a Bay of Plenty police officer saw four people preparing to burgle a commercial premises in Tauranga around 1.20am on Wednesday.
Two people were taken into custody by police at the time, however, one left in a vehicle which had earlier been reported as stolen.
The 14-year-old drove over the Kaimai Range, and along State Highway 27 towards Matamata.
A police spokesperson says officers followed but were not actively pursuing at the time.
As police were preparing to lay road spikes on SH27 near Taihoa South Road, the driver crashed and rolled the vehicle, about 2.10am.
He was taken to Waikato Hospital with a serious head injury, where he remains in a stable condition.
Inspector Mike Henwood, Waikato East Area Commander, says fleeing police is not worth it.
'You put yourself, other members of the public in danger, and police staff at risk.
'When you're signalled by police to stop, please just stop, as the outcome will be better for everyone involved.”
The driver is likely to face charges.
A section of SH27 south of Matamata has been closed due to the crash, but reopened to traffic just after 8am.
1 comment
Two choices.
Posted on 03-05-2023 12:34 | By morepork
1. Forbid Police to pursue perpetrators because someone could get hurt. 2. Teach your teenagers that there is nothng to fear from Kiwi Police and they should pull over when they see the red and blue. (You might also advise them to stay within the Law, while you're at it...) I know which of these options seems most sensible to me.
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