A police officer was lucky to escape injury this morning when his patrol car was rammed by a stolen, out-of-control ute and shunted down a steep bank. The drama began about 8.40am when a member of the public in Kaikohe recognised a Mazda twin-cab ute stolen over the weekend in Kerikeri. Reporter Peter de Graaf was at the scene.
A police officer was lucky to escape injury this morning when his patrol car was rammed by a stolen, out-of-control ute and shunted down a steep bank.
The drama began about 8.40am when a member of the public in Kaikohe recognised a Mazda twin-cab ute stolen over the weekend inKerikeri.
Police chased the ute towards Pakaraka Junction, where it turned up State Highway 10 towards Kerikeri.
The ute hit police spikes laid across the highway near Puketona Junction but continued on its rims for another 500m before hitting the side of a bridge and shearing off the front left-hand wheel.
It continued out of control and smashed into the rear of a patrol car parked just past the bridge. The officer had just stepped out to lay a second set of spikes.
The police car was shunted down a steep gravel bank about 5m high, coming to rest against a fence. The ute was left teetering on the edge.
The driver and passenger, young men in their late teens or early 20s, were arrested. One was taken to hospital for treatment. The officer who had the narrow escape was taken to a Kerikeri medical centre as a precaution.
The police Serious Crash Unit is currently at the scene. State Highway 10 was still down to one lane just north of Puketona Junction at 11am but traffic was flowing.
