Police car pelted

Press, 13 December 1989, Page 4

Police car pelted

PA Nelson A man clambered from the cab to the back of a stolen utility vehicle and pelted a police car with cement and nails during a chase near Nelson early yesterday, the police said. Three occupants of the vehicle had done a U-turn after confronting a roadblock at Pelorus Bridge, east of Nelson. They were later lost about 14km south-west of Motueka. Sergeant Jim Burrows said the police could not follow,the four-wheel-drive car and, the trio evaded a road block at an exit point. The vehicle was stolen from Twizel earlier this month. , A constable spotted it at Talleys Fisheries wharf in Motueka, but was unaware that the vehicle was stolen until he returned to his station. The three in the utility vehicle by then had gone on to State highway 6 towards Blenheim. They evaded a police road block at Pelorus Bridge by making a U-turn and heading back towards Nelson. The following patrol vehicle and dog van were forced aside as it went back. Three vehicles then gave chase as the utility vehicle, at speeds of lOOkm/h to 120km/h was driven back to Nelson. Senior Constable Alan Wilby, of Havelock, said the utility vehicle was weaving to stop the cars passing and forced some oncoming vehicles off the road. One of the men then climbed out of the cab and threw nails and cement at the police cars.

The utility vehicle then continued through Nelson into Tahunanui and Appleby. Running low on petrol, the police stopped the chase at Appleby.