Police are investigating after a suspected shooting saw a patrol car left damaged in Wairoa last night.
A headlight on the patrol car was damaged while police responded to an incident on Churchill Ave around 10.30pm.
Officers at the scene believe a shot was fired at their vehicle from a home on the street, Tairāwhiti Police Area Commander Sam Aberahama said.
The area was cordoned off, and two people were arrested attempting to flee the scene in a vehicle.
Two men, aged 22 and 23, are now due to appear in the Gisborne District Court tomorrow on charged relating to the incident and a firearm has been seized.
Police also carried out a search of a property of interest on the street, with the armed offenders squad in attendance as a precaution.
No further arrests were made.
It comes as 24 people have been arrested for a raft of offences across the flood-stricken East Coast.
Of these arrests, 14 arrests in Hawke's Bay and 10 in Tairāwhiti, with offences ranging from burglary to car theft, serious assault and disorder, police said.
"While a lot of attention has been on the Police response to Cyclone Gabrielle, some people forget that our 'business as usual' response to offending hasn't stopped during the fortnight since the cyclone," Aberahama said.
"Our community can be assured that even while we're dealing with cyclone recovery, Police will be out in force in and around the District, and criminal activity will not be tolerated."
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