An 18-year-old man had to be cut from a car that was crushed when it slammed into a power pole while its driver was fleeing police in Dunedin early yesterday.
He was one of three people in the car treated at Dunedin Hospital after the 12.50am crash in Northeast Valley.
Senior Sergeant Steve Aitken said police initially signalled for the driver to pull over after the car ran a red light while turning from Dundas St to Great King St.
Instead of stopping, the car was driven off at speed, pursued by a police patrol vehicle.
The pursuit reached speeds of more than 100kmh along North Rd before the 16-year-old male driver lost control and crashed into two parked cars and then a power pole near the bottom of Blacks Rd.
An 18-year-old man in the back seat of the car was trapped for about 20 minutes while firefighters cut the roof off the extensively damaged car.
It was initially thought he might have received serious head injuries, but a scan revealed he had not. He was released from Dunedin Hospital yesterday, Snr Sgt Aitken said.
The other passenger, a 19-year-old man, and the driver were caught by police as they tried to run from the scene.
Both were treated at hospital for minor injuries.
The 19-year-old was charged yesterday with burglary in relation to a series of burglaries earlier in the night.
Other charges are likely to be laid in relation to the incident.
