Christchurch arrests foil out-of-town car thieves

Three people will appear in the Christchurch District Court this morning on motor vehicle theft charges after being arrested overnight.

A 24-year old male from and a 19-year old female, both from Ashburton, and a 19-year old Christchurch man were arrested early this morning.

Christchurch Police say they were called to a Papanui address around 2.10 this morning [Thursday 24 January] after a resident reported the theft of a Land Cruiser.

Police units attended and located the vehicle in Innes Road a few minutes later, and arrested the driver. A second vehicle was seen with the stolen Land Cruiser and this was located in Rolleston a short time later, and the two occupants arrested.

Senior Sergeant Mike Jones of Christchurch Police says it is suspected the two alleged offenders from Ashburton were deliberately targeting vehicles in Christchurch.