In today's headlines with Chereè Kinnear, leaked documents reveal autopilot error behind Aratere grounding, Chris Luxon gears up for key meetings and building costs decline.
Detective Senior Sergeant Tim Leitch said police need help identifying those involved, and any sightings of the three vehicles stolen early on Thursday morning.
Police first responded about 4.20am today when a car drove into Newtown’s Coromandel Corner Store.
This was a 2007 Toyota Caldina, registration KWM241, which had been stolen from Rua St in Lyall Bay earlier in the night, Leitch said.
After it became wedged in the store, police allege the offender escaped in a white 2005 Toyota Caldina, registration KDP612. This car had been stolen from Mornington Rd in Brooklyn earlier in the night.
Leitch alleged another car was involved. This was a silver 2000 Honda Accord, registration FAJ992. This was stolen from Palmerston North “some time earlier”, he said.
One of the vehicles, the 2005 Caldina, was still missing, Leitch said.
“Police need your help to identify and locate those involved. We are seeking sightings of these vehicles overnight, which could include travel from Palmerston North,” Leitch said.
“The Caldina is still outstanding and may since have been abandoned.
“You can report information to police by calling 105 or going online to www.police.govt.nz/use-105. Please reference file number 240711/0924.”
Ram raid ‘very sad’ – business owner
The ram raiders left empty-handed but left a big clean-up job for the store owner.
Nilesh, who did not want his surname used, said the culprits drove the car into his shop’s door at 4.20am.
A car used for a ram raid at the Coromandel Corner Store in Newtown, Wellington became stuck in the dairy.
He said the vehicle became stuck and the culprits weren’t able to open the doors, escaping from the car’s windows and fleeing the scene without stealing anything from the dairy.
The front door of the dairy has been completely removed this morning, with its buckled framing still attached to the shopfront.
Nilesh said it “was a big mess” with the counter and fridge shunted across the shop and broken glass everywhere, which took two hours to clean up.
He has owned the shop for 14 years and said shoplifting has become a big issue at the store, with multiple recent instances of young people taking chips and lollies.
Nilesh wanted the police to do more to stop the offending.
Neighbour Leon O’Sullivan said he woke to the sound of a loud bang and thought someone might have crashed into his sports car.
“I would have been very sad,” he said.
“[It was] 4.20 in the morning, which is an apt time for people doing silly things.”
Police were investigating at the Coromandel Corner Store in Newtown, Wellington after an early morning ram raid. Photo / Ethan Manera
O’Sullivan looked out the window and spotted a car parked in front of the shop with the engine still running.
The offenders fled while he was grabbing his phone. O’Sullivan called police, who arrived a short time later.
He said it was “incredibly impressive driving” for the offenders to navigate between poles to reach the front of the store, “but the actual execution of the crime was fairly poor”.
