Northland District Headquarters
Walton Plaza, Whangärei
Tuesday July 1, 2008
A 44-year-old man will be facing driving and drug charges following a police pursuit in Whangärei today.
At 6.15am Police were working on a checkpoint when a vehicle approached, slowed down and then sped off.
Police then initiated a pursuit.
The offending vehicle, a Holden Calais, drove along Kamo Road reaching speeds of up to 140km/hr and then turned into
Station Road heading for Tikipunga.
The vehicle went down a dead end road of a new subdivision, did a u-turn, sped past the two Police vehicles then drove
onto Corks Road.
When the pursuit came to the intersection of Corks Rd and Gillingham Rd the offending vehicle was quite a distance in
front of Police.
As one of the Police vehicles came to the bend at the intersection the offending vehicle, which had turned around, came
around the bend on the wrong side of the road and hit the Police vehicle head on.
Both vehicles were extensively damaged. The two police officers, a male and female, received minor injuries.
The passengers, one male and two females, in the offending vehicle were not injured.
The pursuit had lasted less than 10 minutes.
Police found 6.2 grams of methamphetamine and 2 grams of cannabis in the vehicle.
The vehicle was driven by a 44-year-old man who is now in custody and will be appearing in the Whangärei District Court
tomorrow facing driving and drug charges.
ENDS