North Shore Police short changed a bank robber's liberty this afternoon, when they caught their fleeing fugitive less than ten minutes, after he held up the Takapuna Branch of the Westpac Bank.
Police say that at about 3.30pm this afternoon, a lone male offender entered the bank and threatened the 20 staff and customers present with what appeared to be a pistol.
Detective Sergeant Kim Libby says the man spent almost five minutes inside the bank before he decamped on foot, with an undisclosed amount of cash.
"One of the customers was also robbed," he said.
"A witness who saw the robber get into his car, called Police on his cell phone with the vehicle's registration details."
"Uniform and CIB police patrols then converged onto the Esmonde Road over ramp, at the entrance to the city bound Northern Motorway, where they quickly located the robber driving his vehicle in the traffic."
"Police took under 10 minutes to arrest the alleged offender," Mr Libby said.
A 39 year old man will appear in the North Shore District Court tomorrow on a charge of aggravated robbery, of the Westpac Bank, Takapuna.