A man trying to evade police was found hiding in the roof cavity of an east Auckland shopping centre.
A police spokesperson says a vehicle with stolen number plates was identified by police in East Tamaki at about 4.50pm today, August 31.
“The police Eagle helicopter sighted the vehicle and kept it in view from the air, continuing to report back to police units on the ground.
“The occupant of the vehicle was driving erratically and at speed, at times occasionally on the wrong side of the road.
“Around 5pm the driver abandoned the vehicle at the Botany Town Centre and entered the mall.
“Police have entered the mall, and with the assistance of a police dog unit, located the male in a roof cavity. He was taken into custody around 6.20pm.”
Several police vehicles responding to the incident were earlier filmed while travelling along Kilkenny Drive in Dannemora just after 5pm.
A video shot by the Times shows one police vehicle heading along Kilkenny Drive toward the intersection with Chapel Road while a second officer had stopped his patrol car and appeared to be retrieving something from inside it.
The Eagle helicopter had been circling above the area for about 30 minutes but appeared to have left the area by just after 6pm.
The Times was sent photos by a reader showing multiple police vehicles near a block of retail businesses at the Botany Town Centre.
She said she was unsure if the officers were armed and she saw about six marked police vehicles and two unmarked ones.
Several officers were seen inside the town centre and speaking to staff at about 6.15pm tonight.
