Eynsham residents were woken up in the early hours as police officers searched through gardens for three men in balaclavas who were disturbed after breaking into a filling station.
The police helicopter was also called out to search the village and surrounding fields after police discovered the men inside the filling station.
A patrol car raised the alarm at 1.45 am on Thursday, leading to a 90-minute hunt that involved four other police cars plus officers on foot.
Despite the intensive search, the men managed to evade police.
David Campbell, Thames Valley Police spokesman, said: "A man was outside the Acre Hill Esso station with a balaclava and then two others who had been inside the shop came out.
"Cigarettes had been shifted about but it doesn't seem they got away with anything."
The three men were all believed to be in their late teens or early 20s.
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