
The trio, from Invercargill, told officers they were heading to Oamaru to visit a friend before they left the motorway at the corner of Waitati Valley Rd at 8pm on Saturday, Sergeant Matt Lee said.
They came to the attention of police on patrol when they were clocked by their radar going 161kmh.
Police activated the red and blue lights and pulled over to conduct a U-turn once traffic passed.
However, the teenagers then tried to get away by speeding around a turn on to Waitati Valley Rd.
They were going too fast, and crashed straight through a fence and into a paddock, Sgt Lee said.
None of the teenagers was injured and the vehicle had to be towed out of the paddock.
The driver only held a learners licence, Sgt Lee said.
The trio would be followed up by Youth Aid.
On Sunday at 9.40am, police were called to Timaru St after an elderly man crashed into the side of the Nichol’s Garden Centre.
The 93-year-old was attempting to conduct a U-turn when midway through he shot forward and smashed right into an unoccupied parked car, Sgt Lee said.
He then ricocheted into the wall of the garden centre.
Both cars were extensively damaged and had to be towed away from the scene.
The elderly man’s airbags deployed due to the crash, and he was uninjured.
Sgt Lee said the elderly man was forbidden to drive until he got medical clearance and he was driven back to his retirement home by police.
At 12.45am on Sunday, members of the public called police after they noticed a man passed out at the wheel with his engine running in Gladstone Rd, Mosgiel.
Police went to the scene and roused the 22-year-old man awake — they noticed he was exhibiting signs of recent alcohol consumption.
He admitted to police that he had driven from Milton to Mosgiel that night.
The man underwent breath testing procedures and recorded a breath-alcohol level of 818mcg — over three times the legal limit of 250mcg.
His licence was suspended for 28 days, and he received summons to appear in Dunedin District Court at a later date.
Later at 2am, a member of the public in Stafford St called police after witnessing a man riding a dirt bike without his lights on, and without a helmet.
They told officers they believed the man was intoxicated, Sgt Lee said.
Officers located the man still in Stafford St; however, once they noticed police had activated their lights and sirens, they did a wheelie for the officers and sped off.
Due to the dangerous manner of driving, the dirt biker was not pursued.
He was last seen by officers running a red light.
Sgt Lee said inquiries were ongoing to locate the man, police were reviewing the ample CCTV footage in the area.
‘‘The male rider also lost his cap he was wearing when he accelerated away — it's been seized by police and will be sent for forensic examination to identify the rider.’’











