Police are treating the death of an inmate at Mt Eden Corrections Facility in Auckland as a homicide.
Acting Detective Inspector Greg Brand says police were made aware at about 4pm yesterday, June 27, of a man who had died at the prison following an incident.
Officers continue to follow positive lines of enquiry, he says.
Meanwhile, police are also investigating a serious crash in northwest Auckland last night, which has left four teenagers in hospital, two of whom remain in a critical condition.
The crash occurred at about 8.20pm on Coatesville-Riverhead Highway in Kumeu, shortly after police signalled a vehicle to stop due to the manner of driving.
The vehicle fled and was not being pursued at the time of the crash, police say.
A short time later, the vehicle lost control and crashed, coming to rest upside down against a residential property.
Four nearby police staff, who鈥檇 been seizing a separate vehicle, heard the crash and responded immediately, locating the vehicle and providing first-aid to those inside.
鈥淭his is a horrific incident with devastating consequences for the young people involved,鈥 Waitemat膩 District Commander, Superintendent Naila Hassan says.
鈥淚t is extremely fortunate no other members of the public were injured.鈥
The Serious Crash Unit has completed a scene examination, and police are conducting a full investigation into the cause of the crash and the events leading up to it.
Due to the nature of the incident, the Independent Police Conduct Authority (IPCA) has been notified.
鈥淲e are supporting the families of those injured, and the officers who responded to this tragic scene,鈥 Hassan says.
鈥淲e are still in the early stages of our investigation and expect it will take time to answer all the questions surrounding this incident.
鈥淎t the heart of this is a tragic decision to flee police.
We want to reiterate 鈥 if you are signalled to stop, please pull over.
鈥淣o life is worth the risk.鈥