A luxury car was used to smash into a shop in a ram-raid and then abandoned at the scene by a group of men wearing balaclavas.
Police were called to reports of a group of men trying to force entry at an Asda Express petrol station off the A371 in Locking, near Weston-super-Mare, at 03:44 BST.
Officers arrived five minutes later and found the group had fled from the area after damaging the building. A black Porsche Cayenne and a grey Ford S-Max were found at the scene.
The men, wearing black clothing and balaclavas, are believed to have left in a blue Audi Q5, Avon and Somerset Police said.
Officers carried out a search of the area, supported by a specialist dog team, but no-one was located.
"An investigation is under way and CCTV has been reviewed as part of this work," a police spokesperson said.
"A cordon is in place to allow crime scene investigators to examine the area."
