The offender in a high-speed highway chase that started in Christchurch allegedly stole three vehicles - including one from a Good Samaritan - before being spiked in a VW Beetle near Waitati.
The VW ended up in a ditch after being rammed by a police car and surrounded by armed officers pointing firearms at the driver.
Sergeant Tony Woodbridge said there were reports the car had been travelling at speeds up to 130kmh or 140kmh.
"We have reports of him driving across double yellow lines, going on the wrong side of the road in blind corners. So it was a real danger for the public."
With police following, the driver shot up Double Hill Rd near Waitati where the stolen VW was spiked three times.
With four spiked wheels he made it back on to SH1 before being rammed.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said a 30 year-old man fled the scene after stealing the other vehicle involved, a black Lexus, and was located heading south on SH1.
Police activated their lights around 8am; however, he failed to stop and the vehicle was spiked and crashed on SH1 near Saltwater Creek.
The man stole a second vehicle, a blue Toyota Markx, from a nearby address in Timaru and continued driving south.
The male eluded police and abandoned the second vehicle after crashing into the Waitaki bridge, near Oamaru. He then stole the VW Beetle from a woman who stopped to assist at the crash scene.
Police located the man in that stolen VW near Palmerston but stopped the pursuit because of safety concerns.
After the vehicle was spiked around 10:20am, a 30-year-old man was taken into custody.
Traffic on State Highway 1 is now flowing again.
An eyewitness in Palmerston saw a white Volkswagen Beetle being pursued by two police cars heading south at high speed through the town.
"The VW was driving very fast, probably around 100kmh though town. It looked like they were in a hurry."
Another witness saw two unmarked police cars, a van and two marked patrol cars driving fast with lights flashing through the town.
Police are asking anyone who witnessed the the black Lexus between Christchurch and Timaru, the blue Toyota between Timaru and Waitaki Bridge or the VW between Waitaki Bridge and Waitati, to call 105.
Police have also asked for any dashcam footage or complaints about the alleged offender's manner of driving.
