One of the teens is alleged to have crashed the stolen car into a barrier while trying to get away during the confrontation.

Two juveniles were arrested and charged within hours of the alleged offence, including with aggravated break and enter and commit a strictly indictable offence, have since been refused bail, and remain in custody until their next court appearance. 

While people are, legally, able to defend their property, Superintendent Paul McDonald said they should never put themselves in a potentially volatile or dangerous situation and should instead call Triple-0.

“Police are here 24-7,” he said.

The victim told the Western Advocate he was at his Kelso property last Thursday night wrapping Christmas presents when he noticed his cat was inside and the door was open. He said he went to investigate and found his car was missing.

He said his partner called police while he jumped in his other car to look for the culprits and said he eventually came across them at the 7-Eleven in Stewart Street.

Chifley Police District crime manager, Detective Inspector Luke Rankin, said police will allege the owner found the accused fuelling up the stolen car using a credit card which police also allege was stolen.

He said the victim tried to block their path with his partner’s car, with two of the group running off.

The victim reached into his car, still allegedly occupied by one of the co-accused, to try to remove the keys from the ignition.

Police will allege the accused then crashed the stolen car into a barrier at the service station before jumping out of the car and running off, the victim giving chase.

With police already alerted to the situation by the partner, they moved quickly to secure evidence at the 7-Eleven, which included CCTV footage and clothing dropped by the alleged offenders at the scene.

Within a matter of hours, police executed two search warrants, one at Kelso and another at West Bathurst, and two juveniles were arrested at the Kelso address.

They appeared before Bathurst Children’s Court on Monday, where they were refused bail.

Supt McDonald said further charges could be laid by police.

He stressed the community should not engage with alleged offenders in any situation, saying it wasn’t safe to do so.