Cordons were put in place briefly while police searched for them.
Members of the public directed police by pointing out the direction the men went in and they were quickly found hiding out in Tauranga Countdown on Cameron Rd, Mr Chapman said.
"They changed their clothing and that sort of thing. They ditched their clothing along the way," he said.
A reporter at the scene saw about five police cars and eight police officers in the supermarket speaking to staff, and handcuffing and frisking the trio.
Mr Chapman said a few personal items were taken from the house.
"It certainly was not worth it for what could have been a pretty serious outcome," he said.
The homeowner, who did not want to be named, said her house had been ransacked and cameras, tools, alcohol and jewellery taken although police had already returned most of the stolen property. Mr Chapman said fleeing from police was always a dangerous choice to make and the trio were lucky to have escaped with out injuring themselves or anyone else.
The neighbour who reported the men's suspicious behaviour did exactly the right thing by calling police, he said. He urged people to trust their instincts and call 111 as soon as they saw any suspicious behaviour to give police the best possible chance of catching offenders.
Two Tauranga men and a Rotorua man, all aged between 18 and 24, will appear in Tauranga District Court today charged with burglary, unlawfully being on a property, dangerous driving and failing to stop.
