A group of teens fuelled by allegedly stolen booze had their central Dunedin crime spree cut short when one assaulted a member of the public and then cracked their head open while trying to evade police.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond, of Dunedin, said police were called to George St at 7pm after reports of an assault and disorder involving four teenagers aged between 14 to 17.
One of the teenagers allegedly assaulted an 18-year-old woman on George St.
The teen threw her to the ground and had to be pulled off her by members of the public, Snr Sgt Bond said.
When police arrived, the group of teens ran off.
The teen who assaulted the woman attempted to evade police by running away but tripped and fell down a bank in the Filleul St carpark.
The teen hit her head against a parked car and cracked her head open and was transported to Dunedin hospital.
Police later found the teens had stolen some alcohol from a Mosgiel supermarket before heading into Dunedin Central and stealing more booze from a liquor store and attempting to steal from another.
Police were following up on the thefts as well as the assault.