It took police road spikes to stop a 12-year-old's joyride in
South Canterbury yesterday.
Wanting to see his friends, the Timaru boy stole a car in the
town and led police officers around nearby Temuka at speed
about midday.
A Timaru police spokeswoman described it as an "opportunist
crime" that had the potential for tragedy from the moment the
boy started the car.
"There were certainly excessive speeds on quiet roads and
thank goodness we could keep him off [main roads]," she told
The Timaru Herald.
The boy was finally stopped by a spike strip thrown out by
police at an intersection, but not before an innocent driver
also hit the spikes.
The bill for replacing his four tyres has been picked up by
the police.
The boy will be referred to Youth Aid.
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