The 15-year-old male driver of a stolen Subaru and a 12-year-old female passenger have died following a serious crash after a police pursuit in Palmerston North this afternoon.
Police say at 1.30pm the 15-year-old driver of a vehicle wanted for breaching his bail conditions failed to stop for them on Monrad Street in Palmerston North.
After failing to stop they say the vehicle travelled onto Pioneer Highway before crashing into a power pole at the intersection of Pioneer Highway and Shirriffs Road.
The front seat passenger of the vehicle, who police say was a 12-year-old girl died at the scene, and the driver, a 15-year-old boy died later in hospital.
A second young woman was the rear seat passenger in the vehicle and has serious injuries.
Speaking at a press conference this evening, Central District Commander Superintendent Sue Schwalger talked about the difficult nature of the incident for police.
"Our staff always assess the risk of whether or not to pursue a driver who fails to stop for Police, and continue to monitor risk factors throughout.
"We take these decisions very seriously, and need to maintain a balance between ensuring public safety, and upholding the law.
"The last thing any Police officer wants to have happen when they are on shift is for any incident to end in a fatality, these incidents are devastating for all those involved.
"The officer involved is receiving support," Ms Schwalger said.
Police say a number of investigations will now commence – a Serious Crash Unit investigation and an internal Police investigation.
The pursuit involved a single patrol car.
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