Police have arrested a man on the Southern Motorway after he attempted to flee on foot, near Drury.
Earlier, at around 4pm on Monday, Police responded to a 111 call about a black Audi driving erratically on State Highway 2, near Mangatāwhiri.
Inspector Peter Raynes says Highway Patrol units located the Audi travelling north on SH1 near Bombay.
“The driver failed to stop for Police and has made contact with one of the patrol vehicles, but hasn’t caused any extensive damage,” he says.
“Spikes were successfully deployed, deflating all but one of his tyres.”
Police continued to monitor the vehicle travelling north at slow speed on SH1.
“In order to keep other northbound motorists safe, a unit was carrying out a rolling block of traffic to maintain a safe distance,” said Raynes.
“Eagle was deployed overhead and continued to monitor the driver’s erratic behaviour, speeding up and slowing down, and driving across both lanes.”
Eventually the man stopped the vehicle and fled on foot from officers, crossing to the other side of the Southern Motorway.
A short foot pursuit began on southbound lanes, with the driver arrested on the roadside.
The man is now in Police custody and charges are to be confirmed.
Police thank motorists for their cooperation with the disruption to their travel this afternoon.
“Further enquiries are to be made but given the driver’s behaviour Police suspect impairment may be a factor, and I applaud the member of the public for reporting the poor driving behaviour.”
