The southbound lanes of Auckland's Southern motorway have reopened between Ellerslie and Greenlane.
Police say there was a crash between a truck and a car.
Police say they were transporting the offending driver back to the Southern Motorway patrol base following the crash near Mountain Road.
While the officer was waiting for the gate to the base to open, the driver decamped from the patrol car and ran away causing the road closure, police said.
Police say their earlier statement that while police were talking to the offending driver about the crash, he ran away, was incorrect.
The man was taken into police custody.
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