15 Sep 2011

Woman, child in carjacking drama

7:36 pm on 15 September 2011

A woman and her young child were caught up in a carjacking during a dramatic car chase across Auckland.

Police say it started with a car going through a fence in South Auckland just before 9am on Thursday.

The crash sparked a short police pursuit, which was abandoned for safety reasons, and the police helicopter took over tracking the car.

Police say it was then driven erratically through the Mangere area, before eventually running into road spikes in west Auckland and then striking another car, which was forced to stop.

Police say the woman driver managed to get her two-and-a-half-year old daughter out of the back seat before the offender drove off.

A short time later the car hit yet another vehicle, with officers arriving in time to arrest a man.

A 19 year old man is facing charges of robbery, aggravated injury, unlawful taking, reckless driving and reckless driving causing injury.

He will appear in Auckland District Court on Friday.

Police say the child suffered a graze to her head, and no one else appears to have been injured.