North Shore Police charge four people after two stolen car incidents in two hours

At around 3am this morning, a couple awoke to noises outside their Devonport property. They heard a car drive off and then realised their son’s Mazda Familia station wagon had just been stolen. North Shore Police were sent immediately into the area, and officers soon spotted the car on Lake Road. They signalled for the car to stop but the driver failed to do so and a pursuit began. The driver entered the motorway and headed south, but the get-away attempt was short-lived; “What the fleeing driver didn’t realise was that the motorway was shut at Mt Wellington, because of roadworks” says Inspector Shanan Gray, Area Commander, North Shore. The driver was forced to exit the motorway. Meanwhile, other frontline Police units laid road spikes on the Ellerslie Panmure Highway. The car drove into the spikes and was forced to stop. A man and woman, both aged 19, were arrested at the scene . The man has been charged with driving while disqualified, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, and failing to stop. The woman has been charged with unlawfully getting into motor vehicle. It was the second incident of the night involving a stolen car on the North Shore. Only two hours earlier, a Police dog handler noticed a suspicious vehicle on the motorway, travelling towards the Harbour Bridge. The car had been stolen from Whangarei. “We sent additional Police units to assist and officers stopped the car at Tristram Avenue. When we searched the car we found a quantity of methamphetamine, as well as drug paraphenalia” says Inspector Gray. A 19 year-old woman has been charged with receiving stolen property and drug-related charges. Her 27 year male passenger has been charged with unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle. “Thanks to the quick reactions of the couple in Devonport, and swift action by our officers in both incidents, we’ve been able to apprehend these people and put them before the courts” says Inspector Gray. Beth Bates/Waitemata Police