KEY POINTS:
A teenage girl allegedly involved in yesterday' dramatic police chase during which shots were fired appeared briefly in the dock at Tauranga District Court this afternoon.
The 19-year-old man shot during the high speed police chase from Tauranga to Waihi underwent emergency surgery last night for a stomach
wound. He is currently in intensive care under police guard.
Yana Poata, a diminutive unemployed 18-year-old from Welcome Bay, Tauranga, entered no pleas to charges of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, burglary and failing to stop for police on January 21.
Judge Christopher Harding granted a request from lawyer Tony Balme for a remand in custody until Friday.
"I understand further charges are in the pipeline," Mr Balme said.
A bail application would be made once police had finalised the counts Poata would face, he said.
The injured man, who pointed a gun at police during yesterday's chase through the Bay of Plenty, "dropped like a hot spud" after being shot in the chest by police.
The shooting - in Waihi's main street - brought an end to the 40-minute chase in which the man allegedly shot at police on several occasions before they eventually pushed his van off the road.
"They didn't muck around, he was pointing the rifle at the cops," said witness Stephen Fisher.
"He hopped out and he pointed the rifle at them and the cops nailed him. He dropped like a hot spud."
The day's drama began in Ngongotaha, near Rotorua, after a burglary at a semi-rural property was reported at 12.26pm.
It is understood several firearms were taken in the burglary and police began looking for a Toyota Hiace van which was seen leaving the scene. Police followed it as it headed north-west along the Tauranga Direct Rd to Tauranga.
At 1.50pm, as the van headed towards Katikati on SH2, up to 16 police cars joined the pursuit but the weather conditions were so atrocious a car carrying members of the Armed Offenders Squad spun out of control.
Soon after, the man sitting in the passenger seat of the van started brandishing a firearm at pursuing officers, said Acting Eastern Waikato area commander Inspector John Kelly.
West of Waihi the man fired at a patrol car, putting a hole in the bonnet.
The chase continued into Waihi - where the van ran over polices spikes in the road - but the female driver still did not stop.
As the van headed through Waihi on metal rims, the man was seen hanging out the passenger window pointing his gun at the police and residents.
Pharmacy worker Sheila Cummings was on her way back to work after doing the banking when said she heard sirens.
"I was standing in the middle of the road. I heard the sirens and flashing lights. This van just came down with about eight police cars behind it.
"Just as they got to where I was standing the guy leaned out of the car window and shot at the police. They carried on following the van. All it's tyres were out ... . so it skidded all the way down the road. It was like a United States car chase with all the flashing police cars and everything."
"I was just sort of gobsmacked really, amazed that that was happening right in the middle of town."
Another witness said the van came past his shop with one flat tyre.
"Then it came around the block a second time. There were at least ten police cars in pursuit, with dogs and Swat vests."
"He had a gun pointed at the policeman."
Mechanic Rod Rattray, 58, said he was road-testing a car when the van came around the corner.
He looked up and saw a man in a gray hoodie with the hood up, waving a gun at him.
"He was waving it Rambo-style from side to side."
Mr Rattray said the man had his shoulder out the window as he waved the gun.
Witnesses said the van was weaving all over the road before police managed to steer it towards a grassy verge. It crashed against a tree but the male passenger jumped straight out and pointed a gun at police.
"It came to a stop and the passenger jumped out," said David Lemon. "The next thing I heard was a pop - quite a loud pop - and the person went down."
After the shooting police pulled the female driver out of the van. She was placed in the back of a patrol car and handcuffed before being taken back to the Waihi police station for questioning.
Seddon St remained cordoned off last night while police investigated and was not expected to be reopened until this afternoon.
It was not clear what links the man and Poata links they had to the van, which is owned by Ngongotaha man Robert Gray.
Mr Gray told the Herald he didn't know the people who took his van.
"I have no idea who they are or what the situation is," he said. "All I'm going by is what I've heard on the news."
Many of Mr Gray's neighbours said they noticed police cars on their street earlier in the day but were shocked to hear Mr Gray's van had been stolen and involved in the shooting incident.
- With NZPA
