Police have arrested a teenager in Rakaia who allegedly stole a vehicle in Bishopdale, Christchurch.

Senior Sergeant Stephen McDaniel said police were alerted to the vehicle at about 2pm today.

“Police signalled to the vehicle to stop however it failed to do so,” McDaniel said.

Police monitored the vehicle as it continued to travel.

“Due to concerns about the manner of driving, road spikes were deployed in an attempt to safely bring the vehicle to a stop,” he said.

“The vehicle was eventually successfully blocked on Main South Road / State Highway 1 at Rakaia Bridge. During the incident, the driver rammed three police vehicles.”

Police said the driver was taken into custody shortly after 3pm without incident.

Two people are reported to have suffered minor injuries.

The bridge was closed while emergency services worked at the scene and reopened shortly before 4pm.

“Police acknowledge the professionalism of staff involved in bringing this incident to a safe resolution and thank members of the public for their patience,” McDaniel said.

A spokesperson for St John said, “One ambulance and one operations manager responded to the scene. Our ambulance staff assessed one patient at the scene in a minor condition. No transport to hospital was required.”