A 27-year-old man has been remanded in custody on dishonesty charges in Canterbury after stealing a vehicle, crashing it, and committing other burglaries and attempted burglaries over a period of hours.
On the evening of Monday 21 July, the man stole a vehicle from Hornby, and later crashed it in West Melton just after midnight. Over the next few hours, he attempted to break into more vehicles and steal from several properties.
A car owner disturbed the offender breaking into a vehicle around 8am on 22 July, in the Kingsdowne Road area, and alerted Police.
Senior Sergeant Rachel Walker, from Selwyn Police, said they were grateful for the assistance from members of the public.
"The car owner and his family were able to hold the offender until we arrived which probably prevented more crime," Senior Sergeant Walker said.
"He will appear in the Christchurch District Court on 13 August."
Senior Sergeant Walker says Police are keen for people in the Willfield area in West Melton to check any CCTV from between midnight and 8am on Tuesday 22 July.
Anyone with footage, or who witnessed the crash involving a white Nissan Presage, is asked to make a report online or call 105 referencing file number 250722/9743.
