KEY POINTS:
A police patrol targeting thefts from cars in Christchurch disturbed a thief breaking into a vehicle today, but lost him after he rammed an unmarked police car.
Police patrolling the city's hillside suburbs on Operation Nitro saw a man leaving a vehicle in the Victoria Park carpark with a handbag and entering another vehicle about 9am.
The man, driving a stolen grey Nissan Torano four-wheel-drive, rammed the police car and managed to get away.
Police are hunting the man and the 4WD.
- NZPA
