Officers injured, cafe owners shaken after police chase in Tauranga CBD

A police car was visibly damaged during a pursuit in the Tauranga CBD. Photo/John Borren

A 19-year-old cafe worker was left shaken after she witnessed a police pursuit right outside her workplace in the early hours of the morning.

Bella Boyd was told by police to stay inside her cafe as officers swooped on the area and blocked off a section of 2nd Ave between Cameron Rd and Devonport Rd about 6am yesterday.

"I wasn't sure what was happening," she said. "After that happened I thought this was crazy ... I was shaking."

Boyd watched the incident unfold from the cafe balcony at The Cottage on 2nd Ave.

Police cars were damaged and two police officers were medically assessed after they were believed to have suffered minor injuries.

A section of 2nd Ave between Cameron Rd and Devonport Rd was reopened about 9.30am after the pursuit ended outside the cafe and Second Avenue Health Care.

A police spokeswoman said the pursuit began after a man failed to stop for officers and drove off.

Boyd, who owns the cafe with her mother, said she was told to stay inside during the pursuit and no customers were allowed inside for a few hours until the road was reopened.

The teenager said she had filmed the incident on her cellphone and gave a statement to police. Boyd had worked at the cafe for about a year and said she had never seen a police chase outside her work.

Manager of Second Avenue Health Centre David Gilbert was at work having a check-up after undergoing shoulder surgery while the pursuit was under way.

"We had problems with parking after police closed the road to vehicles, but other than that it was business as usual," he said.

A spokeswoman from the Tauranga on the Waterfront hotel on 2nd Ave said a lot of their guests had woken to the commotion outside the hotel.

"There were mixed messages. A lot of them heard sirens and noise and many had their own theories about what had happened."

A 29-year-old will appear in Tauranga District Court today facing charges of breach of bail, failing to stop, refusing to give blood, causing criminal damage with reckless disregard and injuring with reckless disregard.