The Terrace Primary School went into ''lockdown'' mode as the man drove into the school grounds and fled from police on foot.
Central Otago sub area commander Senior Sergeant Ian Kerrisk said the driver failed to stop when signalled by a police officer on patrol in Royal Tce. The driver accelerated into Enterprise St, where Dunstan High School is located, and then into Marslin St, where the Terrace School and Alexandra Child Care Centre are sited.
''At this time of the morning [8.50am], there was a large number of pupils and their families heading to school,'' Snr Sgt Kerrisk said.
''Given the number of people around, the police did not pursue him at speed, but just followed at a distance. The aim was to box him in with a view to laying road spikes to stop him.''
The man was travelling at speeds estimated at between 80kmh and 90kmh in the 50km area ''and we had huge concerns about the nature of his driving'', Snr Sgt Kerrisk said. The man drove into the Terrace school grounds at the end of Marslin St, left the vehicle and jumped over a fence into neighbouring properties, chased by the police. They found him quickly on a Russell St property, as neighbours ''literally pointed us in the right direction''.
''It was a good outcome and nobody was injured but the potential for harm from his action is huge,'' Snr Sgt Kerrisk said.
He praised the staff, pupils and school families, as well as Marslin and Russell Sts residents for their co-operation. Three other police officers had arrived as back-up and cordoned off the block and the whole incident was over in about 10 minutes, he said.
Terrace principal Garry Anderson said there was no panic by the 370-odd pupils when the ''lockdown'' was initiated. The school bell was rung in a particular way which signalled the pupils to head indoors immediately.
''The aim is to get all the children into classrooms with minimum fuss and that's what happened, so all the children out on the playground and the families and parents who were here, all went inside straight away.''
Mr Anderson said the school practised such a procedure, along with evacuation and other emergency procedures, every term, but it was the first time it had been usedin a live situation. The teacher on playground duty had raised the alarm.
''We were happy to have a safe outcome and know that this procedure works well, when it's not a drill.''
• A 31-year-old Alexandra man appeared in the Alexandra District Court yesterday before justice of the peace Bob McNeil and was remanded in custody to appear in court on Wednesday. He faced charges of dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, driving with an excess breath-alcohol level of 753mcg, and failing to stop for police.
