Detective Senior Sergeant Terri Wilson

Five youths were arrested in the early hours of this morning in Hamilton following the theft of several vehicles and a fleeing driver incident.

All five youths will appear on a range of charges in the Hamilton Youth Court today.

The youths were located after a member of the public reported two vehicles acting suspiciously on Ōhaupō Road, near Ōhaupō.

One of the vehicles, confirmed to have been stolen, was abandoned by the occupants after it hit a barrier. Police located the vehicle and inside found hammers.

The group continued on in a suspected stolen vehicle which was spiked on Ōhaupō Road, Glenview at about 4.30am. The vehicle continued on until it came to a stop a short time later on Kahikatea Drive, Frankton.

Four offenders were taken into custody without incident. A fifth attempted to flee the scene but was quickly apprehended.

A machete and a bag of coins were located in the vehicle.

We want to thank the public for their ongoing assistance in reporting these matters and suspicious activity to Police.

We know that vehicle thefts are extremely concerning for our community.

Police are committed to ensuring that those responsible for crimes such as this will be held to account.

Police would also like to remind the public to immediately report anything of concern to Police by calling 111.

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