Man arrested after fleeing van leads Police on dramatic pursuit through Wairarapa

• A 28-year-old has been arrested after leading police on a pursuit lasting nearly two hours
• Two police cars were rammed in the incident, and at one stage the chase detoured through a Wairarapa racecourse
• The incident started in Featherston, with the fleeing van eventually spiked in Greytown

A fleeing van led police on a dramatic pursuit through Featherston, Carterton and Greytown, hitting two patrol cars and driving through the Tauherenikau racecourse.

Police said they were called to a Revans St address in Featherston at 10.15am after a report of “suspicious activity around a vehicle”.

The van, which police say is not believed to be stolen, was driving away from the scene when officers signalled for it to stop.

The driver, however, ignored this request, continuing to drive away and “ramming a police vehicle in the process” a spokesperson said.

Officers followed the van through Carterton, attempting to spike it multiple times unsuccessfully.

The vehicle travelled on to Greytown and continued to take “evasive action”, hitting another police patrol car.

Police say the van then drove through the Tauherenikau racecourse near Featherston.

The van drove through the Tauherenikau racecourse. Photo / Facebook, Tauherenikau Racing & Event Centre

Videos from onlookers show the van speeding through an intersection of a Greytown street, past houses and a kindergarten, closely followed by police.

The van was successfully spiked around midday before eventually being stopped on East St in Greytown.

The 28-year-old driver has been taken into custody and is expected to face a number of charges in relation to the incident.