Police officer injured in pursuit

A police officer was flung from a moving car and a caregiver was shot
at and bashed in two incidents in Hamilton early yesterday morning.

Hamilton area commander Inspector Rob Lindsay said the officer, who was
yesterday discharged from Waikato Hospital with heavy grazing, bruising and possible concussion, had little recollection of what happened.

He was among police following three burglaries in the east and north of
Hamilton in which a silver Subaru Legacy was said to be involved.

In the third burglary, a caregiver confronted three balaclava-wearing
men,who were trying to steal his car.

One of the men pulled out a gun and fired it three times missing the
man but he was hit with the weapon and suffered serious head injuries.

He was last night in a stable condition at Waikato Hospital.

Mr Lindsay said police pulled over a car matching the Subaru's
description in Hamilton East about 1.15am.

But the driver drove off and police pulled out when the car reached
speeds of up to 160kmh in the city's streets.

They managed to box the Subaru between two patrol cars at the Five
Crossroads intersection.

One of the officers trying to set up road spikes at the intersection got into the car to arrest the 27-year-old man.

The car accelerated and rammed into a patrol car, and the officer was
thrown to the ground as the car took off.

A dog handler's vehicle brought the Subaru, now on three tyres, to a halt at a nearby roundabout.

The driver, who was found carrying methamphetamine, then attacked three officers before being arrested.

Already wanted on five arrest warrants and 11 other charges, the
Cambridge man is to appear in Hamilton District Court on a number of charges including aggravated assault, assault with a weapon, drug and driving charges.

Mr Lindsay said the driver of the Subaru was probably not involved in
the earlier incidents but Police were keeping an open mind to any links.

The three homes that were broken into are undergoing forensic examinations and no firearm has been recovered.

- Additional reporting: NZPA