Four teenagers were arrested after a joyride to Christchurch and back in a stolen car ended with a crash in Mosgiel yesterday.
The driver, a 14-year-old Fairfield youth, rammed a patrol car, police say, then ran off, but was caught a short time later by a police dog unit.
Also in the car - a blue Suzuki Swift earlier reported stolen by the driver's mother - were two 14-year-old girls, reported missing on Tuesday, and a 15-year-old Dunedin boy.
A police car started following the Suzuki from the Gordon Rd BP service station about 11.40am after petrol was reported stolen.
The officers followed the car along Hartstonge Ave, Reid Ave, Murray St and finally into Maple Grove.
‘‘There's been a bit of offending by the driver who has done some petrol drive-offs from Christchurch down to here,'' Senior Sergeant Al Dickie, of Mosgiel, said.
‘‘He's tried to escape ... but the constable has blocked his escape and he's rammed the car.
‘‘He's legged it ... through some private properties and made off down to the Silver Stream floodbank. A dog section [team has been called].
‘‘It was over pretty quickly.''
The alleged $30 petrol drive-off at Mosgiel was spotted by BP forecourt attendant Alex Thomson, who alerted police officers who, by chance, had pulled into the station just as the incident occurred.
‘‘I did think ‘Jeez, this guy is pretty young','' Mr Thomson said.
‘‘The car turned on and I looked over to pump four and the cop car was sitting there. It was a funny coincidence, really.
‘‘As soon as this guy took off, I just walked over to the cop and said ‘Hey, this guy has just done a petrol drive-off'.''
The three passengers arrested were a Dunedin youth and two girls, one from Oamaru and one from Dunedin.
In a statement, police said the driver had been charged with unlawfully taking a vehicle, dangerous driving, failing to stop and theft.
‘‘They went down Murray St at a great rate of knots. Over 100kmh, Snr Sgt Dickie said.''
The female passengers were ‘‘unco-operative'' at the scene, he said.
All three passengers have been charged with unlawfully getting into a vehicle.
Nine police units from Mosgiel and Dunedin responded along with the dog unit.
The damaged police car would need to be repaired, he said.
‘‘It's come off pretty well really, but it's going to have to be taken off the road.''
The four teenagers were also referred to Youth Aid.
