Youths and girls arrested after 80 m.p.h. car chase

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33777, 25 February 1975, Page 3

Youths and girls arrested after 80 m.p.h. car chase

(N Z. Press Association) INVERCARGILL, February 24. Two police cars, a Ministry of Transport vehicle, and an Invercargill City Council Traffic Department car I were all damaged in a I car chase late last night.

No-one was seriously injured in the chapter of accidents associated with the chase, at the end of which four youths and four girls were arrested.

The story really began at ' 1.37 on Sunday morning, i when a yellow Holden Bel- : mont was reported missing ! from Lindisfarne Street. Noth, ing more was seen or heard 1 of it until information was received from a petrol station about 9.30 last night: a newlypainted car had pulled in for petrol, and the attendant

thought the paintwork suspicious. A traffic officer chased the suspect car down Queen’s Drive, and was joined by another, and the two chased it to East Road at speeds up to 80 miles an hour.

As the chase continued to' Fortrose, objects were thrown from the car, which was being driven to prevent the pursuing vehicles from overtaking. One of the objects thrown from the car was a can of paint which splattered all over a following police car. This vehicle ran off the road and was abandoned by its two constables, who were picked up by the traffic officers. At the Mataura River bridge on State Highway 92, the suspect vehicle backed into a Ministry of Transport car. and minor damage was caused to both cars. The chase continued out through Otara to Tokanui, where a road-block had been set up: a sheep truck had been parked across the road, but the driver of the suspect car managed to drive round it. A Ministry of Transport car followed and attempted to overtake, but it was charged from the side, and forced off the road. An Invercargill City Council car did manage to cut off

the offending vehicle, which I stopped in such a way thata patrol car ran into it. Before the chapter of accidents was over a reinforcement van of police from Invercargill ran into a car parked without lights.