Four 15- to 17-year-olds went on a cruise through the Waikato looking for stores to break into and steal from, police allege. Photo / Bevan Conley
Youths aged 15-17 have been arrested after a night-time ramraid and burglary spree in Waikato, police say.
The four youths took part in burglaries in the towns of Thames, Patetonga and Tahuna before fleeing police and eventually having their car spiked.
Inspector Willie Cuthers said police first responded to reports of ramraid at a store on Pollen St in Thames about 2.35am.
“It has been confirmed that a stolen vehicle was used to gain entry to the store,” Cuthers said.
At about 3.25am, police were then notified of a burglary of a service station in the town of Patetonga 45km away, before another burglary was reported at a service station in Tahuna, 13km further down the road.
Cuthers said these two burglaries were not ram raids.
Waikato police units that had been on the lookout for the stolen car then saw the offenders acting suspiciously near a store in Morrinsville, about 20km from Tahuna.
“The vehicle was signalled to stop but failed to do so and fled from police towards Hamilton,” Cuthers said.
Police pursued for a short time but abandoned the chase once the stolen car’s registration had been obtained, he said.
Police then followed at a distance, before the vehicle was spiked and came to a stop at the intersection of Naylor and Fox streets in Hamilton where the four offenders were arrested.
The youthsare due to appear in the Hamilton Youth Court today on charges of burglary and unlawful taking.
“These arrests reflect the hard work Waikato police are putting in to respond to ram raids and burglaries,” Cuthers said.
“We acknowledge the concern these incidents cause to business owners and to the wider community and reiterate our commitment to holding these offenders accountable.”
“We will not tolerate this behaviour in our community and will continue to work hard to ensure our community can be safe and feel safe.”
Three of the whales succumbed on the shore.