A 28-year-old man arrested after the theft of a police car has made an appearance in court this morning and been remanded in custody.

The vineyard worker is accused of stealing a police dog handler’s car after he was bitten by a police dog in Christchurch on Saturday morning and was allegedly on the run over the weekend.

The officer’s ID card and petrol card were also stolen in the process.

It sparked a city-wide hunt for the man who allegedly fled in the police vehicle.

A number of search warrants were carried out on Monday morning and the man was found.

He was arrested and appeared at Christchurch District Court from custody via audio visual link (AVL) this morning on several charges, including the unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, namely a police dog handler’s $30,000 Holden Equinox, stealing a police officer’s cellphone and wallet valued at $400, escaping from police custody, dangerous driving on Blenheim Rd, failure to stop for police when signalled, and unlawfully getting into another vehicle. He also faces several other outstanding charges on unrelated matters.

A duty lawyer said no application for bail – which would’ve been opposed by police - was being made but asked for interim name suppression so he can seek a lawyer and inform his family of his predicament.

Community Magistrate Sally O’Brien granted interim name suppression and remanded the man in custody without plea to December 14 when he is expected to enter pleas.

The man had suffered a dog bite after allegedly earlier stealing another car but he managed to “evade arrest”, police said, before getting in the police dog handler’s car, which had been left running.

He then allegedly fled by driving it away.

Other police cars pursued the man for a short time but lost sight of the stolen car, police said.

Two other police vehicles also collided, causing minor damage to the vehicles.

The stolen dog handler’s car was discovered abandoned on Sheppard Pl in St Albans about 8.05am - some 15 minutes after the car was allegedly taken.

“The incident will be subject to a district review,” a police spokeswoman said yesterday.