In a statement this morning, a spokeswoman said three youths have been apprehended in relation to yesterday's events, and inquiries are continuing to determine the circumstances.
No charges have yet been laid and the trio will be referred to Youth Aid.
On Saturday, police said they located a vehicle of interest, reported as stolen, in Oamaru at 1.10am at the intersection of Severn St and Wansbeck St. However, the driver fled police and headed south towards Dunedin.
Another police unit saw the same vehicle on the Northern Motorway around 2am. It was then spotted on Dunedin's one-way system driving in the wrong direction.
Road spikes were deployed on Cumberland St and one wheel was spiked about 3am. However, the vehicle continued to evade police and a report was received of it going through a red light on George St. Pursuing units were stood down at about 3.10am and the vehicle was thought to have headed towards Mosgiel on State Highway 1.
Mobility scooter hit, Mazdas taken
A number of cars were taken and damaged in the Dunedin area.
A Glen Rd resident said his partner’s black Mazda Demio was stolen about 3am or 4am on Saturday.
Whoever took it had likely broken in through the back window, as tinted glass had been left on the street.
His partner was first notified of the theft by police, who called her and asked if she owned the car and if she knew where it was.
An officer from Balclutha had since called with news that the car had been retrieved and was being kept for forensics, he said.
Another woman later said she saw a hit-and-run incident in South Dunedin in which a man on a mobility scooter was struck by a white Mazda Capalla.
The vehicle was flagged as stolen by a neighbour of the owner on social media. The incident happened near the Andersons Bay Rd and Portobello Rd roundabout.
The witness said she had stopped for the mobility scooter at the pedestrian crossing, then out of the corner of her eye saw him get hit by the white car.
She said another woman at the scene took down the number plate of the vehicle, which immediately sped away.
The man was physically unharmed and his scooter was damaged, although he was still able to ride it. He was clearly shaken but "just wanted to get on with it".
She said when she called police they seemed busy and uninterested.
"It didn’t feel right there was no after support for [the man]."
The incident was "disappointing and shocking" - especially because the driver of the stolen car left immediately without checking for injuries, she said.
She felt there was more crime in the Dunedin area because people were struggling and there was not enough support.
Samii Kruskopf said she was notified by her neighbour about 2pm that her car had been stolen. Three people with masks in a white Mazda Capella parked up on her street in St Kilda and took her Mazda Demio.
They dumped it a few blocks away outside Tahuna Intermediate where they stole another Mazda, this time a Familia. They took off, speeding north with police tailing them.
Her car was towed and the extent of damage was being assessed.
She hoped for support for the man involved in the hit-and-run, compensation for those who had their cars stolen and remorse from the offenders for their reckless behaviour.
The owner of the Familia said the whole thing had been a "s***** experience".
"You just don't expect it to happen to you, but when it does you understand how bad it is."
He said he'd gone out for an hour on Saturday and when he returned, his car was missing and the still-running Mazda Demio had been dumped at the scene.
He called the episode an "invasion", and had a sentimental attachment to the vehicle. He had driven his now-late mother home from the hospital in it and it held many good memories with his old dog.
The man was concerned that someone could have been killed by his car, given the high speed the fleeing driver was doing.
He believed the offenders weren't doing it for money but "just because they could".
The owner hoped they would front up to the elderly man and would pay reparations to those who had their cars stolen, but was not optimistic it would happen.
