Police have accepted findings from the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) that a pursuit in Rotorua in 2024, which ended in the death of a 15-year-old driver, should have been abandoned before the fatal crash.
The IPCA released its findings on Thursday into the incident, which began about 11.30am on October 31, 2024, after officers signalled for a vehicle to stop during a routine traffic stop in Rotorua’s city centre.
According to Police, the vehicle made a dangerous manoeuvre at a busy intersection and fled. Officers initially decided not to pursue because of the risks involved.
However, a second nearby police unit believed the vehicle’s occupants matched reports of people seen with a firearm in the central city moments earlier. That information led both police units to begin pursuing the vehicle.
The pursuit lasted about 90 seconds as the vehicle travelled away from the city centre. The driver lost control while negotiating a corner and collided with a van travelling in the opposite direction.
