A 40-year-old man faces a number of charges after he was arrested after locking himself in a service station bathroom Queenstown following a police chase this afternoon.
Police say the man was disturbed by another person breaking into a commercial premises in Invercargill around 7.45am today, and fled the scene.
Police made area inquiries in an attempt to locate him but were unsuccessful.
Several hours later, police received information that the man was near Winton in a vehicle heading towards Queenstown along State Highway Six.
Police say they were not in pursuit of the vehicle for the entire distance, but good communication between officers ensured the man’s location was continually monitored.
Road spikes were successfully deployed near Kawarau Bridge.
The man got out of the vehicle at Frankton BP service station, where he has unsuccessfully attempted to steal another vehicle, before locking himself in the service station bathroom.
Armed police and members of the Police Negotiation Team took the man into custody around 30 minutes later, at approximately 4pm.
The man has been charged with driving in a dangerous manner and failing to stop for police.
He is due to appear in Invercargill District Court on Monday and is expected to face further charges.
Maria Rapata speaks at the Frankton service station where the pursued driver was arrested.
An eyewitness at the BP service station, Maria Rapata, said she had encountered the man on the road into Queenstown.
"He was just so erratic. We were in Kingston and seen him come behind us and we were thinking his behaviour was a bit odd. He came in and almost hit the cop car - erratic behaviour," Ms Rapata told 1 NEWS.
"We had a baby in the car with us so we were in shock. Not in Queenstown do you see anything like that."
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