Auckland police have today said they "support the actions" of their staff in the fatal purist of a 15-year-old boy in a stolen car in October 2017, after the release of an independent report into officers' actions.
The Independent Police Conduct Authority found the actions of officers were justified after pursuing teenager Morocco Tai on October 9, 2017, in a chase through South Auckland, ending in the boy's death.
Today in a statement, police said they "acknowledge" the Independent Police Conduct Authority report, which determined officers complied with both the law and police policy before and during the pursuit.
"Every death on our roads is a tragedy, and this is the absolute last outcome that any of my staff wanted," says Superintendent Jill Rogers.
"This fatal crash could have been avoided had the driver chosen to stop for police and this incident demonstrates the serious risk involved when drivers choose to flee the scene.
The incident began on October 9, 2017, when an off-duty police officer identified a stolen vehicle driving on the Mt Wellington Highway.
A pursuit was subsequently initiated on Bairds Rd after marked patrol cars arrived and Tai failed to stop for police.
In their statement today Auckland police said: "The officers involved made the decision to abandon the pursuit a short time later, as police lost sight of the vehicle after it had driven through a red light while traveling at speeds of up to 100km/h."
The vehicle was then found a short time later to have crashed into a tree in the suburb of Ōtara with the driver, Tai, dying at the scene.
Two other passengers were seriously injured in the crash.
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