Christmas ram raid: Shocking CCTV captured van crashing into Hamilton dairy

Staff at a Hamilton dairy have missed out on celebrating Christmas with their families after a shocking ram raid on their store this morning.

Davies Corner Foodmarket owner Mahen Rathod says instead of opening presents with his grandchildren, he and other members of his family had to race to their shop to inspect the damage after a van was reversed into the dairy.

Manager Ashka Raj, who was in shock about the incident, said she was about to open presents with her daughter when she got a phone call about it.

CCTV footage shows a gold-coloured people-mover vehicle being reversed into the store on Hukanui Rd at 5.30am.

Four people, including a young girl, are seen getting out and spending about 20 seconds inside before appearing to flee empty-handed.

The group smashed the glass of the ice cream freezer, but it doesn't appear as if they stole any. Photo / Belinda Feek

Waikato police Senior Sergeant Phil Ruddell said the vehicle was found shortly afterwards, crashed, on nearby McNicol St.

The vehicle and the dairy were now the subject of a forensic examination, he said.

Speaking from their second store around the corner, Raj said staff were taking yesterday about how busy they had been stocking up the store with extra food for people who had forgotten items to help celebrate their Christmas day.

She said it's not just about the damage done to the shop that matters, it was the quality time they had all missed with their families.

Glass is littered all over the floor inside the dairy after the group smashed a car into at 5.30am today. Photo / Belinda Feek

"I was supposed to have the day off [today] but I've just come in to see how they were doing. I woke up and this was the first thing I heard. I have a little girl and she was about to open her presents as I got up.

"Even yesterday we were talking about how hard we were working and preparing the shop for Christmas Day and this is what we have."

Rathod hoped the store could re-open at some stage today, once police had finished their scene examination.

He said he wasn't surprised the offenders couldn't get into the cigarette cabinet - it was protected by 18 different locks.

He was disappointed by the ram raid and hoped police would be able to track down those involved.

Ruddell said anyone with information or who was in the area of Hukanui and Clarkin Rds to call Hamilton police on 07 858 6200.

The car was reversed into the shop's front doors, sending glass all over the footpath and inside the store. Photo / Belinda Feek