Porirua Police are appealing for witnesses to a crash in Cannons Creek this morning which happened soon after a police patrol abandoned a short pursuit.
The pursued vehicle collided about 8am with an oncoming car on the corner of Warspite Avenue and Drivers Crescent. Three people are being treated for moderate to serious injuries.
The patrol car was not part of the crash.
Inspector John Spence, Kapiti Mana Area Commander, says the circumstances of the crash are still being investigated but it appears that the police patrol had signalled a Nissan Skyline to pull over after noticing that the vehicle was displaying two different registration plates.
"The car was first noticed with differing plates yesterday by police in Porirua but traffic conditions prevented any attempt to pull it over.
"It was seen again this morning and when signalled to stop, accelerated in an attempt to evade police. The patrol initiated a pursuit in line with standard practice. The pursuit was very quickly abandoned because of the manner of driving in a built up area.
"Within a very short time of the patrol pulling out of the pursuit the offending vehicle then struck an oncoming car, unfortunately injuring two innocent members of the public."
Inspector Spence says the fire service had to cut free the male driver, who was subsequently discovered to be a Porirua Mongrel Mob member. He was the only occupant of the Nissan Skyline. The female driver of the second vehicle also had to be cut free and both were airlifted to Wellington Hospital by the Westpac Rescue helicopter.
A woman passenger in the second vehicle was also injured and taken by ambulance to hospital.
"We're still establishing the full circumstances of the crash but would like to hear from people who may have witnessed it," Inspector Spence says.
The Police Complaints Authority will be advised in line with police policy.