The first, on Tuesday, was to ask him if his white Subaru had been stolen — he did not think so, but went outside and found that, yes, it had.
The second, yesterday, was to tell him the vehicle was impounded because it had been involved in a five-day manhunt that ended with armed police arresting three people at gunpoint in Dunedin on Saturday.
It would stay impounded until forensics on it were finished.
Oh, and it been spray-painted black.
"Got to admit, it’s all a bit dramatic," said Mr Allan, who had no idea who had stolen the vehicle — which was locked and insured — or why.
He said he joked with a mate the day after the Subaru was stolen that he would probably end up in the news.
He certainly followed news of the hunt closely for the rest of the week.
"I was just ... I had a wee chuckle. There was no point getting angry about it."
Things were not quite so relaxed, however, for people living near the Kaikorai Valley Rd house where the trio were finally located on Saturday.
Neighbours said it was "terrifying" when armed police swooped on the property about 5.30pm.
Another witness told the ODT nine police cars and a team of armed officers surrounded a house on the road before using a loudspeaker to communicate with those inside the house.
They then led away a woman and two men, one of whom was fugitive Caleb Lynn, who had been at the centre of the city-wide manhunt since Tuesday.
All three are expected to appear in court on serious charges today.
A neighbour said they had seen police at the property before, but the intensity of this operation was much larger.
"It all seemed to happen in a blur. It just unfolded.
"We heard a lot of shouting coming from a megaphone and dogs barking like mad.
"There were police standing at the side of our house; they checked on us to see if we were OK."
A section of Kaikorai Valley Rd between Marshall St and the Stone St roundabout was cordoned off by police for more than an hour.
Police had been appealing for information on the whereabouts of Lynn, wanted over aggravated robbery and other alleged offences.
They said in a statement officers executed a search warrant at the address.
"Two men, age 27 and 33, and a 28-year-old woman were arrested on existing warrants to arrest and are expected to appear before the Dunedin District Court [today] on a number of serious charges, including aggravated robbery."
They thanked members of the public who shared information that assisted their investigation.
Armed officers using road spikes failed to locate the fugitives in Dunedin on Thursday.
The hunt took place after a string of vehicle thefts, including that of a courier van, in previous days.
A witness on Thursday afternoon said they saw a man fitting the description of Lynn sitting in the passenger seat of a white Subaru being pursued by police.
A second witness on Friday said they crossed paths with a man they, too, believed was Lynn on a platform at the Dunedin Railway Station, about 7am on Tuesday.
A New Zealand Post spokesperson confirmed the courier van, which was stolen from Outram on Thursday morning, was one of its vehicles.
They did not say whether any packages or mail had been stolen.
— Allied Media
