Two 10-year-olds, an 11-year-old, and a 14-year-old were allegedly in a stolen car stopped by tyre spikes in Alice Springs, but officers also accidentally shredded the tyres of another car, NT Police said.

It’s not the first time NT Police have spiked the wrong car in Alice, after an incident in 2021 saw two probationary officers use a tyre deflation device on the wrong car, causing it to crash.

In the latest incident, police director of communications Mark Wilton said a green Volvo was reported stolen sometime between 2pm and 6pm on Sunday, during a burglary in East Side.

He said that about 6:30pm the vehicle was seen driving inbound on Larapinta Drive towards Bradshaw Drive and police began chasing it.

Police used tyre spikes to stop the car as it travelled south along the Stuart Highway through The Gap, but Mr Wilton said another car was inadvertently spiked too and police had to pay the owner for the damage to the tyres.

Mr Wilton said after the Volvo stopped along the Stuart Highway, the four occupants were arrested.

The two 10-year-olds and the 11-year-old were dealt with under the provisions of the Youth Justice Act 2005, while the 14-year-old driver has been charged with unspecified charges and was due to appear in court on Monday.

A similar incident occurred in October 2021, but the NT Police did not report the incident publicly.

Two probationary officers used tyre spikes on the wrong car in that incident, causing it to crash and requiring the same officers to free the occupants from the crashed vehicle, sources said at the time.

That crash happened at a roundabout at East Side in Alice Springs with one of the well-placed police sources asking why senior police would send two probationary officers out together to try to stop a stolen car using tyre spikes.

Police did not say if probationary officers were involved in the latest incident.