An inquest has opened into the death of a man who was killed in a car crash during a police chase.
Sina Naraghizadeh, 18, was driving a stolen Subaru stationwagon through Hobsonville when it was spotted going through a red light, and was followed by police.
The car crashed into a tree and lamp post before flipping over in the early hours of the morning on Sunday, 18 September, 2011.
Witness Joshua Woods said he and Sina had been drinking and taking drugs before the crash. Also, they had had very little sleep on the Friday and Saturday before the crash.
He told the inquest he showed Mr Naraghizadeh how to steal a car the previous Friday night, the same car he later crashed.
He said there were seven people in the car when they drove through a red light and caught the attention of the police.
They fled, reaching speeds of 140km per hour. The car then stopped to let him and another passenger out, before continuing to speed away from the police.
The inquest is expected to last between one and two weeks.
