Northumbria Police said it was alerted to a break-in at Zachos Café Bistro in the Chester Road area of Sunderland shortly before 1am this morning (Wednesday, May 18), where offenders had gained access before making away from the scene in a white Transit van.
Similar burglaries were then reported a short while later at a takeaway on Windsor Terrace and at the Cherry Tree pub in Ayton, Washington, where a fruit machine was stolen and a juke box damaged.
A white Transit van believed to have been used by the offenders was spotted before a police pursuit followed.
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Those inside the van refused to pull over before stopping and making off on foot in the St Chad’s Crescent area – leaving behind their stolen goods.
Officers chased down three suspects who matched the description and arrested two men – aged 25 and 24 – and a 30-year-old woman on suspicion of burglary.
A quantity of suspected stolen cash was seized from the van along with a crow bar believed to have been used in the break-ins.
Chief Inspector Mick Hall, of Northumbria Police, said: “This job required a huge amount of teamwork and coordination after a number of businesses were targeted within a very short space of time.
“We will not tolerate this criminality, and what followed was some outstanding police work involving a number of teams of officers. They worked together – with the expert support of NPAS – and were quickly able to identify a vehicle of interest that was travelling in the area.
“I would like to thank everyone who played their part in reaching this positive outcome, from our motor patrols team who pursued the van through to our firearms support unit, response officers, Dog Section and NPAS. It was a brilliant team effort.
“We will continue to provide a robust response in our battle to tackle burglars and thieves – and are prepared to use every tactic at our disposal in order to bring effective justice and ensure the North East remains as safe as it possibly can be to live, work and visit.”
