Police and ambulance respond to the incident on Omahu Rd. Photo / Warren Buckland
Police and ambulance respond to the incident on Omahu Rd. Photo / Warren Buckland
Two people were taken to hospital after a crash and gang-related disorder in Hastings.
A police spokesperson said officers were notified of a "disorder job" in which a vehicle had collided with the back of another vehicle at the intersection of Brookfields Rd and Pakowhai Rd at 4.55pm on Tuesday.
"A vehicle was later stopped on Omahu Rd and one person was taken into custody.
"Inquiries are ongoing to determine the circumstances."
St John said two patients were transported in a moderate condition to Hawke's Bay Hospital.
Police initially said officers discovered a person injured when they performed the traffic stop on Omahu Rd.
A witness who did not want to be named said she was driving down Omahu Rd at 5pm when she heard sirens and saw flashing lights in her rear view mirror.
She said there would have been "at least" six police cars blocking the road to the Omahu Rd/Maraekakaho Rd/Pakowhai Rd roundabout.
Gang members were involved in an altercation following a crash on Pakowhai Rd on Tuesday. Police later stopped vehicles alleged to have been involved on Omahu Rd. Photo / Supplied
She said that as she got closer she could see blood down the side of the door of a car and several gang members sitting on the side of the road.
Hawke's Bay Today understands a male received accidental cuts from a knife he was using to target another vehicle's tyres.
"It was pretty horrific to see, I'm glad I didn't have my daughter in the car. It was just obviously another gang issue which quite frankly I am just getting so sick of.
"It's just a joke ... Stuart Nash said he was going to increase police numbers when he was the Police Minister, it never happened here. It's like all the cops are running around trying to catch them in action but at the same time other issues are going by the wayside because there aren't enough police to cover them.
"We hear numerous sirens every day. In St Leonards it's just constant.
"I just want to see our local MP [Anna Lorck] step up and instead of talking about Berocca and supplements actually do something."
Tukituki MP Anna Lorck said she can "absolutely understand the community's concern" about gangs and is talking with police about ways forward.
"This Government has invested over $450 million since coming into office and as a result the total police workforce is the largest it's ever been, I think it's over 14,000 police."
Napier MP Stuart Nash said police numbers have increased in Hawke's Bay "substantially" and there are still more numbers to come.
He said with an increase in numbers a gang focused unit was set up which has seen "great success".
There are a number of ongoing operations targeting gangs that the public would not be aware of, he said.
The latest incident follows a shooting outside the Thirsty Whale nightclub in the early hours of last Sunday which Nash said he was "gutted" to hear about.
