Four youths have been taken into custody after allegedly fleeing from police in Hamilton this morning.
Inspector Hywel Jones said the incident unfolded after police received several reports of vehicles being stolen or broken into in various locations around the city.
At about 9.30am, officers were alerted to a vehicle of interest in Grandview Heights.
The police Eagle helicopter located the vehicle shortly before 10.30am in Hamilton East, enabling police patrol cars to move into areas ahead of the vehicle.
Road spikes were deployed in an effort to stop the vehicle, which was being driven dangerously and at high speed, but it avoided them on several occasions.
Shortly after 11am the vehicle was successfully spiked on Kahikatea Dr, where it slowed to a crawl.
It was brought to a stop by police units on Karen Cres in Dinsdale minutes later.
Jones said the vehicle’s occupants attempted to flee on foot but were apprehended.
“Charges are now being considered against a 15-year-old, 17-year-old and two 16-year-olds,” he said.
“Inquiries are ongoing, including to determine whether any of the four arrested have links to a number of car thefts and aggravated robberies in the city over recent days.”
It comes after four youths were apprehended on Hamilton’s Te Rapa Rd yesterday. 1News understands two of the youths had absconded from the Government’s youth boot camp pilot programme last week.
Police were also looking into whether those youths had links to the car thefts and aggravated robberies in the city which had been occuring.
