Last updated 12:50, May 4 2018
Dashcam footage of a man overtaking drivers on the left-hand shoulder of State Highway 1 at Templeton. The man dangerously evaded police for 180 kilometres through Canterbury.
Video footage has emerged of a man dangerously evading police on a 180 kilometre chase through Canterbury.
Senior Sergeant Phil Dean said police tried pulling over the alleged driver – Andrew David Hunter, 32, who was wanted for violent offending – in Waikari, near Culverden, at 12.07pm on Thursday.
Eyewitness Gene Loader said he was driving on State Highway 1 to Rolleston from Hornby in Christchurch when he noticed a blue Subaru tailing him at lunchtime on Thursday. A dashcam in his car caught the erratic driver evading the police in Templeton.
Loader said he was travelling about 80 kilometres per hour when the Subaru "shot up" the road's left-side shoulder.
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"[I have] never seen anyone undertake at such speed," he said.
"As you can see in the video he was moving quickly."
The driver was arrested in Tinwald about 180 kilometres after police initially tried pulling him over.
Police arrested Hunter, a Nelson man, near Ashburton. He was charged and appeared in the Christchurch District Court on Friday.
Senior Sergeant Phil Dean said officers initiated a chase that was abandoned several times before the car was "relocated".
The car was spotted again in Parklands, Christchurch, after the driver stole about 20 litres of fuel from a petrol station. Police pursued the car through the Selwyn district, south of Christchurch, before abandoning the chase again.
Police received a call about 2.45pm from an Ashburton resident who was concerned about a man in her area looking for petrol.
The area was cordoned off and the armed offenders squad was called in, but the driver had already left. He failed to stop again near the intersection of Beach and River roads and was pursued again through Ashburton.
The vehicle came to a stop in Tinwald and the alleged driver was arrested without incident.
Eyewitness Gene Loader's car dashcam caught a blue Subaru, which was being driven by a man allegedly evading police, passing him on the road's left-side shoulder.
Dean said no-one was injured during the pursuit.
Hunter has been charged with dangerous driving on Beach Rd in Ashburton and on Weka Pass Rd in North Canterbury, as well as two charges of failing to stop for police cars flashing lights, possession of a Taser, and stealing $52 petrol from a BP station in Parklands, Christchurch.
In court on Friday Judge Tony Couch remanded Hunter in custody for an appearance by video-link on May 25, when he will be expected to enter pleas to the charges.
Police told the court Hunter was wanted in Nelson for seven charges, including assault and unlawfully possessing firearms.