Police officer injured while dealing with fleeing driver incident in Huntly

A Waikato police officer has managed to escape serious harm after being hit by a vehicle while laying road spikes.

Waikato District Commander Superintendent Bruce Bird this afternoon confirmed the officer was hit by a patrol car after it was hit by the fleeing vehicle .

"About 12.52am today, police attempted to stop a vehicle on Great South Rd, Huntly, due to the manner of driving.

"The driver failed to stop and a pursuit was initiated.

"About 1am, on Tumate Mahuta Drive, Huntly, the vehicle clipped a patrol car and hit an officer who had been laying spikes."

Bird said the officer sustained moderate injuries and was transported to hospital.

He has since been discharged and is recovering at home.

The Serious Crash Unit attended and examined the scene.

The driver of the vehicle is currently assisting police with inquiries and charges are yet to be determined, he said.

Many locals have taken to social media to talk about a police chase, in which a car led police around the streets on the eastern side of town.

One resident believed it must have been going up to 90km/h down Russell St, while others saw and heard it on Rosser St and East Mine Rd.

Waikato police Senior Sergeant Kris Clarke earlier confirmed an officer had been injured in an incident in Huntly.

However, the details were not yet clear, including about the vehicle that struck the officer.

She did confirm the officer involved was recovering at home.

A St John Ambulance spokesperson confirmed they were called out about 1am.

Three ambulances and one manager were sent to the scene.

Two people were taken to hospital; one in a serious condition, the other with moderate injuries.

The crash appears to have been the most serious incident involving a police officer since Auckland Constable Matthew Hunt was shot and killed during a routine traffic stop in Massey in June.

Hunt died and his colleague was seriously injured after the incident in which about a dozen shots were fired.