Police have arrested five youths following a spate of vehicle thefts in Canterbury this afternoon, with the crime spree ending with a red light at the Lyttleton tunnel.
Police say that while their enquiries are still in the early stages, they are investigating whether those arrested have links to several serious incidents in Christchurch over the past week.
“Police were first alerted to four balaclava-clad men in Upper Riccarton, leaving a vehicle on Field Terrace before getting into a second car about 1.30pm,” said Canterbury Metro Commander Superintendent, Lane Todd.
“Shortly before 2pm, Police were alerted to another stolen vehicle being driven around the Riccarton area. Police received a number of 111 calls in relation to the manner of driving, with the reports of excessive speed, and a vehicle driving the wrong side of the road.
“A significant response was launched, involving specialist Police units. A helicopter was also used by officers to search for and monitor the vehicle, tracking it from the city to Kaiapoi and through North Canterbury before it headed back towards Christchurch.”
Due to the dangerous manner of driving, Police did not pursue the vehicle, but kept tracking it from the air.
As the vehicle approached Tunnel Road, a red light at the Lyttleton Tunnel stopped traffic, forcing the offending vehicle, then on the wrong side of the road again, to do a U-turn.
“The offending car then collided with another, just before 4pm,” said Supt Todd.
Police took four teenaged boys – aged 13 to 15 – into custody at the scene with a fifth being arrested at New Brighton address at around 3.30pm.
“It is only luck that meant nobody was injured as a result of today’s events. The driving behaviour was incredibly concerning and could so easily have resulted in someone being killed.”
“We sincerely thank everyone who called 111 today – from reporting suspicious activity to concerning driving behaviour, the information provided by the public helped us locate the suspects and prevent further harm to our community,” said Supt Todd.
