A member of the public has been critically injured after a driver fleeing police crashed head-on into their car near Pōkeno this afternoon. 

The crash occurred on State Highway 2 at 3pm, when the fleeing driver attempted to avoid road spikes that had been laid across the road and swerved directly into the path of the oncoming car. 

At around 1.20pm today, the stolen car had been observed on traffic cameras on Dominion Road. As a police car approached the stolen car, the driver began driving at high speed and on the wrong side of the road. 

Due to the manner of driving, Police did not pursue the car, but monitored it via Eagle helicopter as it travelled through surrounding suburbs, before heading south on the Southern Motorway, then on to State Highway 2. 

Officers deployed road spikes at two locations on State Highway 2 in an attempt to stop the fleeing driver. The driver successfully avoided the first set of road spikes. He also attempted to avoid the second set of road spikes, swerving into the opposite lane and directly into the path of the oncoming car driven by an innocent member of the public. 

The driver of that car suffered critical injuries and has been transported to hospital. The fleeing driver also suffered critical injuries and has been transported to hospital. State Highway 2 is closed in both directions between Avon Road and Koheroa Road and diversions are in place.

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