Police have arrested a man after fleeing Police and driving dangerously across Auckland¡¯s motorway network overnight.
It follows an earlier incident that resulted in a man¡¯s arrest in Glen Innes.
T¨¡maki Makaurau Road Policing Manager, Inspector Juliet Burgess, says the vehicle was detected speeding along the Southern Motorway, near Greenlane, just before 11.30pm.
¡°The driver failed to stop, before conducting a U-turn and driving the wrong way up a southbound on-ramp.
¡°No pursuit was initiated, but the Police Eagle helicopter located the vehicle driving dangerously on the Mount Wellington Highway and through ?t¨¡huhu.
¡°Eagle continued tracking the vehicle and provided commentary as it re-entered the Southern Motorway, this time heading north.¡±
Inspector Burgess says the vehicle continued at excessive speed before exiting the motorway on the North Shore, then re-entering it a short time later and headed south again.
¡°The vehicle eventually exited the motorway at Ramarama before it stopped at Drury and the driver fled on foot.
¡°He hid behind two large water tanks but couldn¡¯t evade Eagle as ground staff were soon there to take him into custody.¡±
A 34-year-old man who is also a Mongrel Mob gang associate, is scheduled to appear in the Auckland District Court charged with failing to stop, reckless driving, resisting police, and possession of a knife.
He is also suspected of having driven whilst well over the legal alcohol limit, and further charges cannot be ruled out.
¡°His alleged actions were totally unacceptable, and it¡¯s a credit to the hard work of all Police staff involved that the incident came to a safe conclusion,¡± Inspector Burgess says.
ENDS.
Tony Wright/51½ÖÉä
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