Pair crash stolen car after crime spree

Two men were seriously injured when a stolen car crashed during a police pursuit in central Auckland following a string of aggravated robberies overnight.

Police said the pursuit had started about 12.35am on the North Shore, where police had been called to a string of aggravated robberies, and continued at high speeds along the motorway towards central Auckland.

The car crashed at the intersection of Nelson St and Fanshawe St.

Two men, believed to be aged between 18-20, were taken to hospital with serous injuries.

The incident started after a member of public alerted police to a car's occupants acting suspiciously in Devonport about 11pm yesterday.

Police checks revealed that the vehicle had been reported stolen.

Shortly after, an aggravated robbery was reported in a cemetery near to where the stolen car had been reported in Devonport.

The victim had been assaulted and had items stolen from them.

When police arrived, they found four people inside the stolen vehicle. The occupants told police the driver of the car had fled and was armed with a firearm and a knife.

A second aggravated robbery was reported about 11.45pm. Police were told a person had been assaulted with a weapon in nearby Clarence St, Devonport, and the offender had stolen his car.

Fifteen minutes later, an aggravated robbery was reported at the McDonald's in Glenfield. Two offenders stole a handbag and fled in a vehicle matching the description of the car that had just been stolen.

Police tried to stop the car around the intersection of the Albany and Upper Harbour highways, but the driver fled and the pursuit was launched.

Police said the crash was being investigated by the police serious crash unit. The Independent Police Conduct Authority will also be advised of the incident.

None of the aggravated robbery victims was believed to be have been seriously injured, but their exact injuries were unknown.

Police said the four people found inside the first stolen car in Devonport were assisting police with inquiries.

 

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