Five young people have been arrested by police during the early hours of this morning in Hamilton after police say they were involved in the theft of several vehicles and a fleeing driver incident.

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 said.

Police located the vehicle and inside found hammers.

The group, police said, 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, police said.

Four youths were taken into custody without incident, while police said a fifth attempted to flee the scene but was apprehended.

A machete and a bag of coins were found in the vehicle by police.

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

“We want to thank the public for their ongoing assistance in reporting these matters and suspicious activity to police,” Detective Senior Sergeant Terri Wilson said. “We know that vehicle thefts are extremely concerning for our community.”

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