Police say a Waikato man carrying a hammer assaulted two people and stole a car before being arrested after a chase.
They say the first of the man's victims, an elderly man in Morrinsville, received a minor injury when the man snatched his keys and stole his car on Saturday morning.
The 32-year-old man then drove to Matamata, where he went to a service station brandishing the hammer and demanded cash from a staff member.
Police say he also assaulted her before taking items from a customer who walked in at the time.
Police say they tried to follow the man from the service station but lost him as he sped away.
However, shortly after finding the car abandoned, the police saw the man running through a park and caught him.
