Car drives into party in Panmure

Two people have been injured, one critically, in an early morning hit-and-run incident in the Auckland suburb of Panmure.

Police say the vehicle ploughed through a group of people fighting on the street.

"There was a fight on the street where a number of people have crossed the road to have a bit of an altercation with some people that were having a party," Senior Sergeant Matt Rogers told Newshub at the scene.

"Following that, a car has driven through the crowd that was out on the road.

"Unfortunately a couple of people were hit when that occurred."

Two people were injured, one critically and another seriously. Both were taken to hospital. A witness says they understand one of the victims was dragged under the vehicle.

"It's too early to establish if the driving through the crowd was a deliberate act, but certainly the person would have been aware of the fact they had hit some people and did drive off and haven't come back to establish what they have done," says Snr Sgt Rogers.

It's believed the car that mowed through the unsuspecting crowd was abandoned after the incident. It was found not far from the scene, its front windscreen left shattered.

A neighbour told Newshub she saw a damaged blue station wagon speed away and believes a woman was behind the wheel.

Locals say sadly it's an all too familiar occurrence, with parties happening at the block of flats nearly every weekend.

Craig Davies lives just down the road, and is raising three grandchildren under 10.

"I won't let them walk down here by themselves now," he says.

"It's just too risky. I don't want them to get hurt, and they could get in the way."

One neighbour says he saw a group of people chasing after someone down the stretch of road around 6pm on Friday night. He says he saw one of them carrying a baseball bat and believes it was the same group who were later involved in the street fight.

Others are concerned gang clashes could be to blame, with tensions between Black Power and the Headhunters boiling over in the area.

The two people injured remain in hospital and police are still looking for the driver.

Newshub.