A man is dead after the vehicle he was travelling in rolled onto its side and crashed into a power pole at the intersection of Captain Springs Rd and Neilson St in Onehunga at about 11.29 this morning.
The man had been pursued by Police units - including the Air Support Unit, Eagle - since 11.12am when he was stopped in Motions Rd, Westmere, by officers and questioned about ownership of the vehicle he was driving, a white four wheel drive Mitsubishi Pajero.
The driver of the pursued vehicle then chose to try and outrun Police through a chain of streets going from Westmere, through Pt Chevalier, parts of Mt Albert, Sandringham, Epsom and into Onehunga where he crashed into the power pole and died at the scene.
Auckland City Police Serious Crash Unit is at the scene, as are power company workers, Fire Service staff and Police Motorways crash investigators.
The Police Complaints Authority was notified of the death within an hour of the crash and a senior officer has been assigned to investigate the circumstances around it on behalf of the PCA.
The crash victim is still at the scene and efforts are being made to make the area safe from fallen power lines for emergency staff. Traffic is being diverted away from Neilson St and it could be some hours before the body can be removed from the crash site.
ENDS
Issued by Noreen Hegarty
Auckland City Police Communications Manager
Ph 09 302 6947 or 0274-951-589
Website: www.police.govt.nz