Road spikes were used to stop five youths fleeing in a stolen car at the weekend - only for the spikes to be stolen by an unknown member of the public.
Officers spotted the teens travelling in the stolen vehicle in the Hawke's Bay town of Ōtane at about 11:30am on Sunday.
However, officers quickly used road spikes at the intersection of Higginson St and State Highway 2, police said.
Despite being spiked, the driver allegedly did not stop and continued travelling south.
The car was soon found abandoned in a field in nearby Waipukurau and five youths were subsequently arrested. They were referred to Youth Aid.
"This was a really solid team effort, which minimised risk to the public and the occupants of the stolen car," Senior Sergeant Craig Vining said.
"Unfortunately, the set of road spikes were uplifted by a member of the public before they could be recovered from the roadside in Ōtane.
"If you have any information on the whereabouts of the road spikes, we ask you to please contact us."
Newshub.
