Police have arrested a man after a stolen white Toyota LandCruiser drove through a Northland Shopping Centre in Preston to avoid police yesterday.

Officers located the LandCruiser dumped in Beavers Road in Northcote about 5.10pm yesterday.

The vehicle, which police say was stolen from an address on King Street in Ivanhoe East on 2 June. It is believed an electronic key reprogramming tool was used to steal the Landcruiser without the vehicle’s keys.

The vehicle was first spotted by security near the Murray Road shopping precinct just after 4pm on Wednesday 19 June. Officers attempted to intercept the vehicle in an outdoor carpark around 4.07pm, but the driver took evasive action, steering the SUV through the heart of the shopping centre to avoid capture.

In an incident described by witnesses as chaotic and frightening, the LandCruiser drove past storefronts, smashed through glass doors, and up-ended a safety bollard. Fortunately, no one was injured, though one woman was taken to hospital suffering from shock.

Wayne O’Connor, who was inside the centre at the time, told the Herald Sun he came face-to-face with the driver.

“He took out all the doors all the way through, but he didn’t hit anybody and he actually stopped for a little kid,” O’Connor said. “He stopped for the children and he stopped at Kmart and looked to make sure no one was walking across the centre.”

Superintendent Kelly Lawson said officers had been responding to reports of a stolen vehicle when they attempted to block it in. According to the Herald Sun, she confirmed that the driver rammed a police patrol vehicle twice before heading into the mall.

“The driver took evasive ­action, and unfortunately the only place he could go was to ram the police vehicle … and then took off and drove through the shopping centre and exited at the first available opportunity,” she said.

Investigators arrested a 27-year-old East Melbourne man at a Hoddle Street address in East Melbourne about 8.30am this morning.

An electronic key reprogramming tool was seized during the arrest.

The man will be interviewed by detectives.

Police are not looking for anyone else in relation to the incident.

The incident marks the second major security scare at Northland in under a month, following a violent confrontation involving machetes in May that also forced the centre into lockdown.

Victoria Police have urged anyone with footage or information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000..