Five young people arrested after attempted ram raid in Wellington

A brave neighbour thwarted an attempted ram-raid of an Island Bay liquor store by chasing off the would-be thieves with a shovel.

Thirsty Liquor in Island Bay was targeted for the third time since July last night by five young people who used a vehicle to cause immense damage, before kicking in the door and stealing products.

CCTV provided to the Herald shows the thieves attempting to ram the doors of the shop, before giving up and kicking in the doors. As they run out of the shop, the shovel-wielding man approaches and chases the youths into their car - managing to retrieve a few bottles from the open boot as they flee the scene.

A police spokesperson told the Herald they fled in a vehicle that they dumped on Houghton Bay Rd.

When the young people stole another car, road spikes were deployed and they were taken into custody.

Owner Chetan Rattan told the Herald this is the third time his shop has been targeted in four months and he doesn’t know how much more he can take.

“I’m definitely thinking about doing something else now because I’m just so tired of dealing with it,” he said.

“It’s not easy to move on, I’ve spent six years here to build a reputation – it’s not easy. The community is really good, they really support me so well and I’m so thankful to them.”

He said the thieves stole about $1000 worth of product - but caused around $25,000 worth of damage to his shop.

“They must face some consequences.”

“If it’s just a warning for them I’ll be not happy but for me, if they’re mature enough to do the crime, they should be punished like adults.”