Driver disappears after slow speed collision with police car in Napier

A vehicle is taken away as police investigate the slow speed ramming of a police vehicle in Napier on Sunday morning. Photo / Paul Taylor

A police patrol car received minor damage when hit by the driver of car being sought by officers in a Napier suburb.

Media staff said that about 9am on Sunday police signalled to the driver of a car to stop in Barnard Ave, Maraenui.

Police had concerns over the way the vehicle was being driven.

The driver did not stop and there was no pursuit, police said, but the vehicle was seen soon after, and it collided with the patrol car at slow speed and drove off.

The car was found abandoned in another street soon afterwards.

There had been no injury to staff, the media staff said.

Two people, including a suspected seriously-injured motorcyclist, were taken to hospital after a crash on the Pakowhai Rd northern entrance to Hastings early on Saturday afternoon.

Police said the motorcycle and a car collided just before 1pm, and two people were taken by St John Ambulance to Hawke's Bay Hospital, in Hastings.

The road between the Pakowkai-Evenden roads roundabout intersection and Richmond Rd was closed to traffic for some time while emergency services worked at the scene, where police remained until about 4.30pm.

Emergency services also attended two early-morning highway crashes during the weekend.

A vehicle crashed on State Highway 2, Poukawa, but the driver appeared to have fled by the time emergency services arrived after being called about 5.05am on Saturday. Inquiries were continuing to locate the driver.

Three people were reported to have been in a car that overturned on State Highway 5 near Tarawera about 2.50am on Sunday. Police did not attend but had been told one person had been treated by asn ambulance crew at the scene.