Road spikes were unsuccessfully used before a local helicopter was deployed to help track the vehicle. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
Several motorists who saw the police chase of a wanted motorist in Christchurch have described the "scary" episode, with one likening it to "something out of Grand Theft Auto".
Police in the city have been in pursuit of a stolen vehicle since this morning, sparked by police reports of the occupant presenting a firearm at another motorist.
Multiple eye witness accounts said a silver Subaru drove into a BP on Moorhouse Avenue in the central city, before the driver sped off in a parked van amid the police chase.
Police have since revealed the van was stolen from the petrol station.
Kylie Ryan, who was driving along the road shortly after 9am, said she saw the speeding car cross the centre line.
She said the incident was like watching a video game. "I was quite bewildered.
"It was honestly like watching a game of Grand Theft Auto, like watching a proper car chase. It was weird."
Another motorist, who did not want to be named, said they caught a glimpse of the driver at an intersection on Wilsons Road North in Waltham before they ran a red light.
"They looked at me before they aggressively did a U-turn.
"The driver looked young, about 14 or 15."
The motorist told RNZ the scene had left him angry as he had his children with him, who had exams to focus on.
Lauree Hunt said she was driving along Sawyers Arms Road, between Bishopdale and Harewood, towards Christchurch Airport before she spotted a silver car speeding towards her down the centre line.
She described the situation as "scary" as she was travelling with her infant son.
"[He] was a young guy driving and there was a passenger, the back door on the driver's side was wide open," she said.
"I had to swerve to the left as I thought he was going to hit me."
She said he then continued to weave erratically through traffic.
"I carried on, a few minutes later I was on McLeans Island Rd (behind the airport) I looked in my rear vision mirror and saw him screaming up behind me again, so I once again had to swerve to the left and pull off the road as there was a car heading towards me and I didn't want him to side swipe me."
Canterbury District Commander Superintendent Karyn Malthus said it was still following lines of enquiry to locate the occupants.
Police received a report at about 6.10am of a firearm being presented by the occupant of one vehicle to another vehicle, travelling on Port Hills Rd, Hillsborough.
It then signalled for the vehicle to stop but the vehicle fled.
Police did not initiate a pursuit and instead tracked the vehicle as it sped through several suburbs of the city.
Road spikes were unsuccessfully used before a local helicopter was deployed to help track the vehicle.
"The vehicle was later found abandoned on Moorhouse Avenue, where the offender stole a second vehicle and fled," Malthus said.
"Observations on this second vehicle were lost soon after that."
"At this time the driver is still outstanding and police would like to hear from anyone who has information that could assist with enquiries."