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Police are hunting a man who smashed a police car window with a baseball bat, cutting a police officer's face, after a car chase.
People living between Pukekawa and Tuakau were told to lock their houses and cars and stay indoors last night as police continued to search the area.
Two men fled after a chase in which a police car was rammed before the escaping car ran off the road on State Highway 22. The second man has since been caught.
Sergeant Chris Money said the officer's eye had minor cuts after one man smashed the police car windscreen with a baseball bat. The officer also had a bruised elbow after struggling to get the bat off the man.
Mr Money said the chase started after the two men in the car were suspected of stealing alcohol from a shop in Tuakau at about 3.30pm. Police began the chase after the men refused to stop.
Pukekawa resident Bertus Hilgers said police warned him to watch out for two Maori men, aged in their 20s and wearing black shorts. "We are not supposed to approach them. Only if we see them just ring the police."
Mr Hilgers was stopped by police as he returned home to his property on State Highway 22 around 6pm.
He said a white stationwagon appeared to be the police vehicle involved in the chase, while a white car similar to a Nissan Pulsar was crashed in a ditch nearby.
Police had blocked roads leading from State Highway 22, including Kauri Rd towards Onewhero. The police helicopter had also searched the area.
