A carload of Invercargill teens led police across coastal Otago after allegedly robbing a Waitati dairy.
The alleged offenders, using a silver Nissan Tilda car stolen from Gore on Sunday, visited several Dunedin retailers yesterday morning.
They later allegedly stole cigarettes and a till from the On the Spot Blueskin convenience store in Waitati before fleeing north through Karitane and evading road spikes on the way to Waikouaiti.
A swarm of police officers then apprehended them as they ditched their car at a rural property.
A police spokesman said officers responded to reports of a robbery at the Waitati shop on State Highway 1, about 10.20am.
Cigarettes and a cash till were stolen but when a fog cannon was activated the offenders fled, the spokesman said.
A witness said a trail of tobacco products was visible outside the dairy following the robbery.
Officers also made inquiries at several retailers, including South Dunedin hardware stores, where they obtained footage of two people later allegedly involved in the robbery.
It is understood those in the fleeing vehicle tried to double-back towards Dunedin, by travelling through Karitane and south along Coast Rd.
However, work was being undertaken on the railway lines at Seacliff and that forced the driver to turn back.
A police spokesman confirmed police received information about the Nissan car in Coast Rd at Seacliff about 12.15pm.
A Karitane resident described a "Wild West" scene as two police cars followed it through the centre of the settlement.
In a later statement, a police spokesman said the stolen car was located by officers in Coast Rd about 12.30pm, and officers observed it from a distance.
Police have not been able to confirm if their pursuits policy — which bans chasing fleeing vehicles in most situations because of the risk of fatal crashes — was being followed.
The driver of the stolen car evaded road spikes and a police spokesman said they then tried to drive into one of officers at the scene.
Some time later, officers located the vehicle at a property just north of Waikouaiti, on SH1.
A witness said he saw five or six youths approach the property looking for a ride.
The police spokesman said two youths were arrested, along with an 18-year-old male who will appear in the Dunedin District Court today.
The youths would appear in the Youth Court.
While several other young people had been located by police at the Waikouaiti property, they had not been arrested in relation to the robbery.
All stolen items had been recovered, the spokesman said.
Police have asked anyone who may have witnessed the car - a silver Nissan Tiida, registration HLJ356 - between Sunday morning and Monday afternoon to contact them.
