Woman walker fights off van trio

ORDEAL: A woman says she fought back after being grabbed and pulled towards a vehicle. PHOTO/WARREN BUCKLAND

Police are hunting a group of men who tried to pull a woman into a vehicle in Hastings on Thursday night.

The incident occurred between 7.30pm and 8pm when a 24-year old female was walking along Francis Hicks St, towards the Hastings Cemetery.

A silver vehicle pulled up next to the victim, the rear door opened and a male in the back seat asked the woman for directions. The male said he could not hear her and asked her to come closer. As she got closer to the vehicle the male in the back seat grabbed her pants and tried to pull her into the vehicle.

The male pulled the victim and punched her on the arms. The victim fought back and managed to break free but fell over. She believes she may have been knocked out.

The van left and the victim walked to a nearby hotel, where police were called.

The vehicle is described as a long silver van or people mover, possibly a Toyota Lucida. It had sliding doors on both sides at the back.

The three occupants were described as dark-skinned. The male in the back was wearing a green T-shirt, black jeans, Red Band gumboots and had a tattoo on the back of his left hand.

The incident comes in the same week police urged women to be careful after two incidents involving female joggers. In the first incident a young man tried to grab a runner in the same suburb. A 16-year old was running on Southland Rd when a young man on a bicycle tried to grab her around the waist. However, he fell off. He then chased her until she ran into a nearby dairy.

Then at 6am on Tuesday a woman in Taradale reported a young man frequently circling around female runners on his bike, making them feel uncomfortable. "We're keen to hear of any other incidents like this or anyone behaving suspiciously around female joggers," police said.

It was also timely to remind women jogging to be safety conscious, especially if they were in an isolated area.

Police are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen any of the incidents, including whether anyone has knowledge of the three men in the vehicle of the Thursday night attack.

Anyone with information should contact Constable Rhyan Honeyfield at HB Police on 06 831 0700.