The alleged attempted theft of an arcade game from a shopping centre in Adelaide's north has led to the discovery of 10 more of the skill testing machines at a nearby address, police have said.
Police on Friday arrested a 45-year-old from Parafield Gardens after receiving reports of a man attempting to steal the machine at the Parabanks Shopping Centre just before midday.
After a witness provided a description of the man, who had been "acting suspiciously", police patrols spotted a white van with a handwritten number plate in the car park.
Police spoke to the driver — the 45-year-old — and conducted checks on the vehicle, which was allegedly stolen from an address at nearby Green Fields last week.
"A search of the van located a bag of coins and a broken padlock taken from the skill tester machine," police said.
"A subsequent search of the arrested man's Parafield Gardens address allegedly uncovered 10 vending machines or skill testers."
The man was charged with attempted theft and illegal use of a motor vehicle, was refused police bail and will appear in the Elizabeth Magistrates Court on Monday.
In a statement, police quipped that the theft of the Parabanks machine had only been averted by the "long arm of the claw".
The 10 other machines were seized for forensic examination, and investigations are continuing.
