Lyttelton SuperValue was one of three businesses targeted by young smash-and-grab thieves at 2am Tuesday. Photo: JOHN KIRK-ANDERSON/STUFF
Three businesses in Lyttelton were not the only things hit in a spree of smash-and-grab break-ins early Tuesday.
One of the young offenders managed to hit themselves the head while trying to get into a supermarket using a rock.
About 2am, youths broke into a London Street sushi shop, pub and supermarket, by throwing rocks and kicking in windows.
At Nama Sushi, a cash till and drinks were stolen. Alcohol and an empty till were taken from The Lyttelton Arms. Cigarettes, vaping products and donation boxes were taken from the SuperValue.
Lyttelton SuperValue owner Rob De Thier said the security footage of Tuesday morning's burglary was "quite entertaining". Photo: CHRIS SKELTON/STUFF
SuperValue owner Rob De Thier said he was alerted at 2am by the supermarket's security operator that multiple alarms had been set off. He logged into the cameras from his phone and watched "intruders running in and out with all our smokes".
De Thier found the front door to his supermarket smashed, the cigarette cabinet broken into and smoking products thrown everywhere.
It was "a mess", he said.
De Thier got a laugh, though, watching the "quite entertaining" four minutes of CCTV footage.
"The first one threw something at the window trying to break it, and it bounced back and got him in the head," De Thier said.
"As they were taking stuff back out, while one of them was climbing back through the window, one of the others realised that they could open the door, so they unlocked it and pushed it open while the other guy was still going through the window."
De Thier said a third of their smoking products were stolen from the store. The charity boxes taken off the counters were found in the middle of London Street, still with the money inside.
"They obviously dropped it and left it there, so we got most of that back fortunately," De Thier said.
Owner of Nama Sushi Jack Shin had a similar wake-up call, and found his shop smashed open with drinks thrown and spilt all over the shop's floors.
His brother John Shin said the break in was a "sad inconvenience" and although they were still able to open on Tuesday, the day was "really tough without the till".
"We have to explain everything again to the customers that the till ... isn't here and we can only accept cards," Shin said.
Police spiked a getaway vehicle on Rutherford Street in Woolston, about 7 kilometres from the burglaries, and the vehicle was soon abandoned nearby. A cash register and cigarettes were found inside, police said.
A dog team tracked and found the suspects.
Police said no arrests had yet been made, but inquiries were ongoing.
This story originally appeared on Stuff.