Fleeing driver throws loaded rifle at cops

A man was arrested after a police chase in Waikato otday.

A fleeing driver threw a loaded rifle out his window as police chased him through west Hamilton.

Police started chasing a car about 11.30am today around Seddon Park after three men were seen acting suspiciously on Seddon Rd. They were standing by a car with a jimmy, a police media spokesman said.

Two of the men ran off and the third sped off in a vehicle, sideswiping a car that was later identified as stolen on the way.

Police chased the car to Tuhikaramea Rd in Dinsdale when the driver lobbed a loaded .22 gun out the window.

The rifle landed on the road and another police unit picked it up.

The driver also reversed his car into the following police car causing minor damage. He was eventually pulled over on Lorne St after damaging the vehicle by driving over concrete median strips.

The offender ran off but was chased and tackled by a police officer near Waikato Hospital.

A man was arrested and is in custody. Police are still looking for two people who ran from them on Seddon Rd. One of the men was wearing a black rain jacket with the words "Sombero" on it.

This is the second time in two weeks a police car has been damaged in a chase in Waikato.

On September 13, a stolen vehicle fled police in East Tamaki and drove south on State Highway 1 before crashing into a stationary police car in north Waikato. The car had been parked while the officer lay out road spike.