Police are investigating after someone took a car from the Dunedin suburb of Pine Hill overnight only to crash it not long after.
Senior Sergeant Liz Waru, of Dunedin, said the Holden parked outside a Pine Hill Rd address was taken some time between 11pm last night and 12.50am this morning.
The offender took the vehicle, which was unlocked and had keys in its ignition, only to lose control of it on Gowland St (SH1 heading north), skid, mount the kerb and then crash through a small wooden fence, Snr Sgt Waru said.
They finally came to a stop in a Wilson's car park on Emily Siedeberg Place.
A single occupant, who was yet to be caught be police, was seen by a witness "casually" walking away from the vehicle.
It was not known how badly damaged the vehicle was.
Police were also investigating a number of other dishonesty offences from the last few days, including the burglary of a store on Princes St, which had money taken from its till overnight on Monday.
Some time between 5.30pm on Monday and 8.30am yesterday someone broke into the store by ripping a lock out of a sliding door.
It was not known how much money was stolen, but the person likely had knowledge of the premises.
"The person seemed to know their way around."
