Police catch man who stole car, hit officer

Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

A man was arrested in the Bay of Plenty yesterday after a wild Grand Theft Auto-like pursuit in which he allegedly attempted to ram police with a stolen car, hitting an officer on one occasion.

The pursuit began when police were called just after 4.30pm to Maxwell Rd in the Tauranga suburb of Otumoetai to investigate "a man eating grass".

When police arrived at the scene, the 28-year-old ran into water and fled through nearby bush with a metal bar.

Police say he then allegedly entered a house and after taking alcohol, fled in the family car, leaving behind the owner of the house with what is believed to be a snapped Achilles tendon.

"The local senior sergeant Shannon Clifford on hearing a female screaming has arrived to find the man taking the family car," inspector Kerry Watson, shift commander of the northern police communications centre, said.

"He has driven the car at the senior sergeant hitting him with an open door and driven over a letterbox narrowly avoiding collision with a parked police vehicle."

Another patrol car then saw the man fleeing and tried to stop him, but he continued on at high speed.

Road spikes were used to try stop the stolen car, but the man again allegedly drove at another police officer on foot, who ran to safety.

The car continued to flee over a roundabout and drove directly at a parked police car.

When the police vehicle moved to avoid being hit, the man just continued onto Takitimu Dr, driving on the wrong side of the road into oncoming traffic and losing a tyre in the process.

Police then abandoned the pursuit because of the man's dangerous driving.

"Following information from the public, police have gone to Takitimu Dr near the golf course and found the vehicle abandoned and the man gone. Police have set cordons to contain the man," Mr Watson said.

At 6.50pm police caught him trying to run through their cordon.

"It was excellent work by all of my staff to contain the male within cordons and keep the public safe," senior sergeant Clifford said.

"I am relieved that no members of the public or my staff were injured during the incident."

The Tauranga man - who was described earlier today as a Caucasian wearing no shirt with black shorts that appeared to be falling down - will appear in the Tauranga District Court tomorrow facing charges of disqualified driving, possession of an offensive weapon, aggravated assault on police, reckless driving, failing to stop for police, two times assault with a weapon, burglary, and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.