An investigation has been launched after a Banna Avenue service station was ram-raided during a crime spree at the weekend.
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According to police, an unknown male wearing a hooded jumper and gloves drove a Toyota RAV4 through the front door of Griffith's Top Town BP, causing significant damage, on Saturday morning.
The RAV4 arrived at the service station at 1.43am, along with a stolen white Toyota LandCruiser, police said.
The driver of the RAV4 entered the store through the smashed doors, jumped the counter and removed an empty cash till from the counter.
He then returned to the RAV4 and left the scene. The stolen LandCruiser, which had been parked nearby, also drove off.
Builder Nicholas Ralph said he saw the aftermath of the ram raid when he arrived to repair the store so it could be secured.
"It looked like someone had reversed diagonally into the front door, smashed it open and I just had to go patch it up," Mr Ralph said.
"The door was smashed open because it's all glass.
"So the glass frame around it was bent open, so you could walk in and out of there no problems and there was glass everywhere."
A crime scene was established and a police investigation is now under way.
According to police, the LandCruiser was stolen from a farm in Yenda sometime during the afternoon of August 27.
The following day, the vehicle filled up with fuel and drove away without paying at the Mobil service station on Griffith's Banna Avenue about 11.43pm.
There were three unknown males inside the vehicle at the time.
The vehicle was then involved in a pursuit with Griffith Highway Patrol about 12.45am on Saturday.
The chase had to be terminated.
About 1am, the same vehicle was involved in a collision with another vehicle on Rosewood Drive in Griffith after it failed to stop.
Police are unsure who was in the LandCruiser or who else might have been in the RAV4 at the time of the ram raid.
The RAV4 was found on a road in Nericon, north of Griffith, and the LandCruiser was found burnt out on Middleton Avenue in Griffith.
Anyone with any information about the incident has been urged to contact Griffith police on 6969 4299 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
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Catie McLeod
Catie is a reporter at The Daily Advertiser covering health and Wagga City Council. You can contact her on c.mcleod@dailyadvertiser.com.au or 0475 819 651.
Catie is a reporter at The Daily Advertiser covering health and Wagga City Council. You can contact her on c.mcleod@dailyadvertiser.com.au or 0475 819 651.
