Urine bomb thrown from stolen car in police chase

THURSDAY , 23 SEPTEMBER 2004


Police had to dodge a urine bomb and other objects flung from a stolen car during a desperate 47 kilometre chase through the Hutt Valley and Kapiti Coast on Tuesday night.

Twice the chase had to be abandoned as the driver of the car, which was reported stolen from Auckland two weeks earlier, drove up major highways the wrong way to elude police.

The car, with four people inside, also narrowly avoided road spikes and reached speeds of up to 140kmh.

Lower Hutt acting area commander Inspector Peter Cowan said the chase started about 10.50pm Tuesday night when the car sped away from a police patrol unit during a routine traffic stop in Waterloo Rd.

However, it was abandoned minutes later at the Petone overbridge when the car entered State Highway 2 the wrong way and drove south in a northbound lane until Horokiwi, where it turned around and headed north.

The chase was again started at Korokoro by another patrol car, which tailed the vehicle over the Haywards Hill and Paekakariki Hill roads.

As the vehicles wound their way over the hills, various items were flung from the car, including a water bottle filled with urine and a car-seat head-rest.

A road spike trap set up by Porirua police at the bottom of the Paekakariki Hill Road was avoided and the car continued south on State Highway 1.

The chase was again called off when the car travelled the wrong way down the highway toward Porirua.

Mr Cowan said the car was eventually stopped in Whenua Tapu cemetery just north of Plimmerton, at 11.33pm. The occupants continued to lead police on a chase, this time on foot.

Two police dog patrols were dispatched, but could only rein in one female passenger. Three men are still being sought.

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