"Police want to locate witness to Lower Hutt fleeing driver incident"

Police want to track down a man who became involved in an incident with a fleeing driver in Lower Hutt this morning.

At approximately 7am Police attempted to pull over a stolen vehicle which was being driven through the Lower Hutt CBD.

The driver failed to stop and a brief pursuit was initiated before being abandoned for safety reasons.

A short time later a Police unit saw the same vehicle stopped at the riverbank carpark and the driver running from the scene.

As Police followed the offender on foot, he attempted to take a second vehicle from a man who was parked and sitting in an SUV on Connolly Street at around 7:15am.

The offender failed to take the vehicle and continued running with Police in pursuit on foot.

Police caught up with the 17-year-old male and arrested him.

He has been charged with unlawful taking, dangerous driving and possession of instruments for car theft and is due to appear in Hutt Valley District Court tomorrow.

Police spoke briefly with the man parked in the SUV on Connolly Street at the time but didn’t have time to get his contact details.

We would now like to speak with him again to ascertain more information and hope people might be able to help us locate him.

He was a Caucasian man, approximately 50-60 years-old, with a grey short beard.

He was parked in a dark coloured SUV in a 10 minute parking spot outside the early child centre on Connolly Street at the time.

We ask that the man, or anyone who knows who he may be, makes contact with Lower Hutt Police on 04 560 2600.

ENDS

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