Teens flee police in stolen ute

A Hastings man's parked car was damaged when a utility vehicle pursued by police rolled and collided with it. Photo / Harrison Christian

A Hastings man woke to find a path of destruction in the street outside his home, after a police pursuit which ended with a utility vehicle rolling and colliding with his parked car.

Three Hastings teenagers are helping police with their enquiries after the chase, which wove through Hastings City early yesterday morning. Charges of dangerous driving and theft of a motor vehicle are expected to follow, police say.

Senior Sergeant Ross Smith of the Eastern District Command Centre said police began following the Nissan utility vehicle after recognising it had false registration plates. It had been reported stolen a few days earlier.

The driver refused to pull over. The car was pursued through the central city until the driver failed to take a corner off Copeland Rd in Akina, which runs between Norton Rd and Riverslea Rd.

The vehicle went off the road before rolling and colliding with a resident's parked car.

Police were quickly able to round up the three occupants about 3.45am.

They were uninjured and there was no damage to the police car.

Josh Williams, 19, an engineering apprentice who lives on Copeland Rd, said he woke up early yesterday morning to the wail of sirens.

"I looked out the window and there were cops everywhere and people were screaming and yelling. It was terrible," Mr Williams said.

He went back to sleep, but a police officer knocked on his door about 4.30am to tell him his car had been hit during the pursuit.

He came outside to see the utility vehicle lying upside down in the middle of the road, and his Daihatsu hatchback, which he had only owned for three weeks, parked in an odd place.

The car's windscreen was shattered and front right guard dented in the impact, which had vaulted his car backwards about 8m, despite the hand brake being on.

"[The ute] must've been fair boosting it."

Now his car was not roadworthy and he would have to get his mother or girlfriend to drive him to work. He hoped to receive reparation costs for the damage.

Mr Smith said the utility had been reported stolen several days ago and it had been fitted with false plates.