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Four arrested in Ashburton after youths flee Christchurch

Attributable to Inspector Leairne Dow, Prevention Manager:

Four youths have been arrested in Ashburton after an aggravated burglary in Christchurch.

A Mazda Atenza was used to gain entry, by reversing into the shop front window, to a vape store on Columbo Street around 4:30am on Tuesday [6 June].

The occupants of the vehicle took an amount of cash and property from the store, causing damage to the store’s interior.

They fled in that vehicle at about 4.40am, but 30 minutes later the vehicle was seen by Police just north of Ashburton.

Ashburton Police placed cordons around the vehicle and the vehicle was stopped without incident.

The four youths were arrested near a petrol station in Ashburton and taken into custody.

Evidence of the burglary in Colombo Street was in the vehicle. The Mazda vehicle was also found to have been stolen from an address earlier in the day.

We are committed to keeping our community safe and we will not tolerate dangerous behaviour on our roads, nor will we tolerate this type of offending.

We acknowledge the concern these incidents cause to business owners and to the wider community and reiterate our commitment to holding these offenders accountable.

All four are facing a variety of charges. One appeared on Tuesday in Christchurch Youth Court while the others are being dealt with by Christchurch Police Youth Services.

/NZ Police Public Release. View in full .