A group of youths under the age of 16 has been arrested following a burglary and police chase in Riccarton last night.

A police spokeswoman told chrislynchmedia.com that police received reports around 2:15am of youths attempting to break into a store at Riccarton Mall.

The group allegedly used hammers to break the glass at the Spark store, loading stolen items into a vehicle.

When police arrived, the youths fled in the vehicle and did not stop when directed.

A short time later, police spiked the vehicle’s tyres, bringing it to a stop on Burdale Street in Riccarton.

Four youths were taken into custody and face charges of burglary and unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.

They are due to appear in Youth Court in the coming days.