Five teenagers from Auckland and Rotorua will be appearing in court in Rotorua today following a chain of events yesterday that began with a report of a suspicious vehicle in Ngongotaha.
When the stolen Mazda then failed to stop for police, a pursuit was initiated but was called off a number of times for public safety reasons. It eventually crashed into a traffic light pole and the three occupants were chased on foot by officers and a police dog resulting in all three being arrested.
Those arrests and further information from another member of the public led police to search an address in Rotorua last night where items and property linked to the aggravated robbery of Jerams' Superette on Saturday afternoon where recovered. Two boys aged 15 and 16 were arrested at that address. One has been charged with burglary and the other has been charged with receiving stolen goods.
The three occupants of the car, aged 15, 16 and 17 have all been charged with unlawfully taking a vehicle. The 16-year-old has been additionally charged with failing to stop for police and reckless driving. The 17-year-old also has been additionally charged with breach of bail.
Detective Senior Sergeant Zane Smith said: “We have established a link between the teenagers in the vehicle and the two arrested at a residential property. It is still too early to speculate on who was involved in the robberies at the weekend and that investigation is ongoing, but we haven’t ruled out further charges.”
“I once again applaud the community for their assistance in this matter; we have reached this point in our investigation as a direct result of invaluable public information. We still have more work to do and welcome any more information that will assist us going forward.”
Police particularly want information about the movements of a silver Mazda Familia Sports 20 (similar vehicle pictured) that was stolen in Auckland on Thursday, 22 May and dumped at Ti Street between 3.30pm and 4pm on Sunday, 25 May. It is believed to have been frequenting the Te Ngae area during this time. The movements of a red Mazda MPV between 2pm on Sunday, 25 May and 4pm yesterday afternoon are also being sought.
The community is also asked to keep an eye out for a discarded shop till. The till was taken during the St Andrews Superette robbery on Sunday afternoon and is yet to be located.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Rotorua Police on 07 348 0099. Information can also be provided anonymously to the organisation Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
Media enquiries should be referred to Communications Manager Kim Perks on 027 234 8256.
