Police have arrested the man accused of stealing a car with a baby inside.
The vehicle was taken on Friday, May 10 in the Taranaki town of Waitara, while it had a baby in the back seat.
The baby was later found uninjured on a grass verge, while the car was found abandoned last Monday after being driven around Taranaki over the weekend.
Now police say they arrested the main suspect on Friday, May 17 after they spotted him travelling on State Highway 1 around 7:20pm.
"Police activated lights and sirens however the driver fled," a police spokesperson said on Saturday.
A pursuit was abandoned due to their driving, however police spotted the vehicle again and successfully used road spikes.
A police dog unit then tracked the suspect down and he was arrested around 8:30pm.
A 34-year-old man has been remanded in custody on charges of abducting a child, aggravated assault, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, driving while disqualified and charges relating to failing to stop for Police.
He is due to appear in the New Plymouth District Court on May 30.
"This was a well-coordinated arrest involving officers from across the Police Central District including Manawatū, Whanganui, and Taranaki," police said.
"Police would like to thank those who provided information to assist in the investigation including locating the man."
