Crash-and-run city rider caught
Police nabbed a suspected thief who allegedly stole a motorbike, fled, crashed then ran in central Christchurch.
Dog handlers were searching for a man after members of the public found a Triumph Daytona, abandoned with fenders scraped, on the corner of Worcester St and Fitzgerald Ave about 9.30pm on Thursday.
A nearby resident said she heard the motorcyclist crash moments earlier.
Senior Sergeant Anton ten Hove said it was not yet clear whether the motorcycle was stolen, but it was owned by a woman and police were searching for a male rider.
‘‘He was a fleeing driver earlier, on Hereford St [where it intersects] with Stanmore Rd . . . which is a good couple of kilometres away,’’ ten Hove said.
Police were not pursuing him at the time of the crash, but found the motorcycle while looking for the rider.
Officers cordoned the intersection where the crash happened, as well as neighbouring Gloucester St and Fitzgerald Ave.
They arrested a man they found in a nearby flat.