CONSTABLE RUN OVER

Hokitika Guardian, 14 January 1931, Page 5

CONSTABLE RUN OVER

AN EXCITING CHASE. ? n AUCKLAND CAR THIEVES. t AUCKLAND, January 12. s After an exciting chase on Saturday 0 evening. unfortunate circumstances a prevented the arrest of alleged motor- ti car thieves. The Mount Eden con- p stable, captured a man whom he had „ seen in the act of removing a car park- n od near a picture theatre; but owing b to interference from the audience, which Hocked out into the street at the interval in the programme, the man escaped. About 30 curs have been removed from City streets by unauthorised persons since Christmas, and feixj practically all of the “Baby ’ type, have been taken during the last Knv days, , , A large number of removals nave occurred in the vicinity of Mount Eden, and the district constable decided to keep a watch in plain clothes on Saturday night at a usually unguarded stand adjacent to the theatre. He had | )e en concealed for only about 20 minutes, when a “Baby” Austin drew up 1 in the middle of the street, and two , young men got out and crossed over , to the parked cars. When the watching constable heard the starter of a big i car opposite turning, lie dashed out. Immediatelv a warning was shouted from the small car, which charged the constable, knocked him down, and passed over one of his legs. Pursuit in a Garden. Tn the meantime, the men at the parked car fled. One jumped into a private garden over a low fence, on the other side of which the constable knew was a 12ft drop. Realising that the man must he hurt, the constable called upon another young man who had appeared on the scene to notilt the inmates of the house that there was a thief in their garden, and to help the police by switching on all lights. This was done; hill as soon as the policeman approached his quarry at the foot of the wall lie bolted again, and led another chase round the house, befoie lie was eventually captured. He had received a severe wound in the head, from which blood streamed profusely. Escape in a Tram. . The man submitted calmly to his captor, who had a taxi summoned from the theatre. While the pair were on the road, the audience came out of tile theatre for an airing during the interval. and sensing a carousal, gathered round curiously. A scoutmaster, it is stated, anxious to render first air. and not understnndil,(r the position, thrust in unwittingly between the policeman and bis charge. - Immediately the bold was broken, the 1 prisoner made a dash into the ciowd. J ,\ tram was passing at the moment. I The man hoarded it. and the constable I ( base, at the same time calling, cl •■Police! Stop thief!” i- On board the tram. the wanted - man glibly explained his presence. “Don't take any notice of that blighter : he hit me over the head with a n holt led' he said, displaying his injury, j. to the motornian, who was astonished to learn later that lie had made good the man's escape. )- Second Man's Leap. People who saw the incident state that apparently a second man was also on the same tramcav. as when the cry of “Police! Stop thief!” went up. a man dressed in flannels .jumped off the ■- wrong side of the tram. and. picking cl himself up after a heavy fall to the 's roadway, disappeared down a side j- street. - T- r -