A failed ram-raid, an attempted robbery with an axe and an abandoned police chase could all be linked, police believe.
The owners of a supermarket and a dairy in Dunedin were sweeping up broken glass yesterday after the first two incidents as police investigated if they were connected.
Later, police pursued a silver Subaru, a car with similarities to that involved in the ram-raid.
Senior Sergeant Ben Butterfield, of the Dunedin District Command Centre, said the chase was stopped after about a minute because the car was being driven dangerously. The car was pursued in
Gordon Rd, Mosgiel, about 6.30pm, but the chase was abandoned when the car turned on to State Highway 1, heading for Dunedin.
In the first incident, Moyles SuperValue, in Green Island, was ram-raided early yesterday.
Owner John Moyle said CCTV footage revealed a man driving a silver Subaru station wagon driving slowly past the supermarket before parking in Howden St, opposite the supermarket, and waiting a few minutes.
The man drove around the block, returned to the car park and reversed at high speed into the supermarket's front doors.
The towbar smashed the door glass at 12.23am, immediately triggering the security alarm.
The driver then left at high speed.
The shop would reopen today.
About 2pm yesterday, a man wearing dark clothing and a mask, wielding an axe and carrying a bag, entered Fairfield Store and Takeaways in Main Rd and demanded cigarettes and cash, Detective Sergeant Rob Hanna said.
The man smashed the door of an ice cream fridge, leaving the shop empty-handed and departing in a silver vehicle, Det Sgt Hanna said.
The female shop owner, who did not want to be named, said when the shop bell rang about 2pm, her fiance walked over from the living quarters. The man with a large axe began making demands.
The shop owner believed because her fiance was ''tall and strong'' the masked man panicked and smashed the ice cream fridge with his axe to try to stamp his authority on the situation but ran away soon after.
The dairy owner said she had owned the shop for three years and never experienced such a ''horrible'' incident in what she said was a friendly suburb.
Snr Sgt Butterfield said police were investigating the possibility the two incidents were linked.
Acting Senior Sergeant Ian Temple said a Subaru had been reported as stolen.
