A Canberra massage business has reported a break-in and theft after a car crashed through its shopfront in Weston, injuring five people and forcing a large emergency response. ACT Policing has confirmed that officers are looking into the burglary report, while a separate investigation into Friday's collision remains under way. Emergency services have said the crash is not being treated as an intentional act.
The business, Harmony Tree Therapeutic Massage and Day Spa, is located near Cooleman Court shopping centre. It says personal belongings were taken from the damaged premises after the collision and that an ATM card was used without permission. Those claims are central to the latest development, but the allegation of theft still requires police verification and should not be written as an established criminal finding.
For the workers and customers present when the vehicle entered the building, the earlier crash was already a frightening event. Five people were taken to hospital, including three workers who became trapped beneath the vehicle. The allegations about what happened afterwards have added a second concern for people still dealing with the injury, disruption and loss of access caused by the collision.

The ACT Emergency Services Agency said emergency crews were called to a local business in Weston at approximately 11.45am on Friday, 9 October. A vehicle had collided with the premises, leaving several people affected. Fire and Rescue teams had to extricate three trapped people so that ambulance paramedics could provide treatment and transport patients to hospital.
Emergency responders reported five patients taken to hospital, including two with serious injuries, with all five said to be in stable condition at the time of the agency's later update. A stable condition is not the same as a minor injury, and the details of people's recovery were not supplied. Individual names and diagnoses should not be invented to make the incident more vivid.
ABC News reported that the three trapped people were workers at the massage business. The crash also involved the vehicle's driver, who police described as an 84-year-old woman assisting investigators with their inquiries. That description does not amount to a charge or a finding that the driver deliberately harmed anyone. The official emergency-services statement specifically says the collision is not being treated as intentional.
The car remained inside the building for a period while responders worked, an unusual scene for a retail strip where people would ordinarily expect a safe pedestrian entrance. The visible damage and need to free trapped people help explain why the response drew significant public attention, but the circumstances of how the driver lost control remain matters for investigators.
ACT Ambulance Service and ACT Fire & Rescue had left the scene by late Friday afternoon, according to the agency's 4.08pm update, while police were expected to continue their work. Emergency services thanked local businesses, residents and bystanders for their patience and assistance, reflecting how a single crash can interrupt an entire local precinct.
On Sunday, the massage business said on social media that someone had entered the shop and taken belongings following the crash. According to its account, items included a staff member's mobile phone, car keys, house keys and an ATM card. The business also said the card had subsequently been used without permission.
The timing described by the business is particularly distressing: staff say belongings remained inside because they had been unable to recover them while the damaged premises were inaccessible. Their account is a statement from a party directly affected by the event, not independent proof of who entered, what was removed or whether every item was used in a particular way.
ACT Policing confirmed to ABC that a burglary had been reported and was being followed up. That official confirmation establishes the existence of a report and an investigation, not the guilt of an unidentified suspect. Police had not publicly announced an arrest or charges in connection with the alleged burglary in the Sunday material relied upon here.
It is also important to treat the crash and alleged theft as separate incidents. The first is a traffic and emergency-services matter which police have said was not intentional. The second is a reported crime said to have occurred later. Nothing in the reporting establishes that the driver, injured workers, witnesses or emergency responders were involved in the alleged theft.
For those working at a small business, the effects of such events can be felt in different ways. Medical recovery and support for injured workers are immediate priorities. The loss of access to a shop, repair of damaged property and securing of personal belongings can create practical difficulties. These are potential categories of disruption, not verified financial losses specific to Harmony Tree.
The ACT Government's business-continuity guidance describes how a damaged workplace can suffer both direct and indirect losses. Building repairs and broken equipment are immediate problems, while interrupted bookings, inaccessible records, displaced staff and reduced income may emerge later. These categories make the Weston business's situation understandable without attaching a speculative dollar figure to it. There is no verified public account of its insurance cover, lease arrangements or reopening timetable, so none should be presented as an established consequence of Friday's crash.
The business publicly described the days after the crash as a difficult and stressful time. That reaction is understandable in light of its reported circumstances, but precise statements about when it will reopen, whether employees are being paid during closure or the total cost of damage should wait for confirmed information from the operator or relevant authorities.
The ACT also advises operators dealing with serious disruption to assess the safety of premises before resuming work, keep staff informed and review whether a temporary location is viable. In a small service business, customers need certainty about appointments while employees may need information about their jobs and access to belongings. These are considerations drawn from general recovery guidance rather than instructions known to have been given to Harmony Tree. They become relevant because the building damage and subsequent reported theft affect more than a single day's takings.
Three people being trapped required a coordinated extrication operation before medical care could continue. ACT Fire & Rescue crews worked to free people from beneath the vehicle, while ACT Ambulance Service crews attended to patients and arranged hospital transport. Police managed the scene and commenced an inquiry into the collision.
The agency's account emphasised the professionalism and teamwork of the first responders and the support from people in Weston. That provides a fuller picture than a photograph of a vehicle inside a shop. The emergency was a medical rescue, a traffic investigation and a public-space safety incident at the same time.
Because the vehicle ended up well inside commercial premises, there are obvious questions about the entryway and the people who were inside. Yet there is no verified basis to say the driver's medical condition, a mechanical problem, excessive speed or a particular action caused the crash. Without police findings, choosing any single explanation would be speculation.
Nor should a photograph of the damaged business automatically be treated as proof of the precise position of every person at the moment of impact. After first responders begin rescue and stabilisation work, objects may move and the appearance of the scene can change. The reliable account is the official description of the response and the confirmed number of people taken to hospital.
For the collision, the main questions include the sequence of driving actions, any relevant road or vehicle factors and whether offences are identified after evidence is reviewed. ACT Policing has indicated that inquiry is continuing. It would be unfair to attach criminal blame to the elderly driver simply because police have spoken to her as part of the investigation.
The reported loss of keys and a bank card introduces a different issue from repairs to the shopfront. Where personal items cannot immediately be retrieved from an unsafe building, workers can face inconvenience and uncertainty about access to homes, vehicles or accounts. The business has alleged that an ATM card was used without permission, but the public material does not establish how that happened or who used it. Police examination of the complaint is necessary before attributing the activity to any person connected with the crash.
For the reported burglary, police will need to determine whether unlawful entry occurred, which items were taken and whether any available evidence supports charges. The business's account provides an important lead, while the police confirmation ensures the report is not being treated solely as online rumour. Neither establishes the identity of a thief.
The incident highlights the vulnerability that can follow severe damage to a workplace. When a site cannot be safely re-entered, belongings and documents may become difficult for workers to retrieve. Community concern about securing damaged premises is reasonable, but responsibility for this particular allegation will depend on evidence, not assumptions.
For the five injured people and those close to them, the consequences of Friday's collision will not be measured only by broken glass or a damaged storefront. The public reports provide limited medical detail, so their privacy should take priority over speculation. Meanwhile, business owners and local residents are entitled to clear updates on the police inquiries as those inquiries produce confirmed results.
Insurance and compensation questions are also separate from the police inquiry. ACT Government guidance lists public liability, workers compensation and vehicle-related third-party injury insurance among cover that may matter to businesses, with requirements and exclusions varying by circumstance. The existence of such products does not prove that a claim will be accepted, that a driver is legally liable or that any worker is entitled to a specified payment. The first confirmed facts remain the emergency response, five hospital admissions and a subsequent burglary report.
As of Sunday, the two key facts remain distinct: an unintentional collision, as classified by the ACT emergency-services statement, led to five hospitalisations; a later burglary report was made by the business and is now being examined by police. Any charges or conclusions should be reported when authorities substantiate them. The two inquiries require distinct evidence: the crash was described as unintentional, while the later reported theft remains an allegation being investigated.