Statement to be attributed to Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Baird:
Invercargill Police have arrested and charged a 29-year-old man in relation to an aggravated robbery in the city on 18 August.
The man appeared in Invercargill District Court on 22 August, charged with aggravated robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm, theft of a motor vehicle, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, and driving while disqualified.
He has been remanded in custody and is scheduled to appear again on 13 September.
The charges relate to an incident that took place on Ross Street at around 10.45pm on 18 August, when a man allegedly presented a firearm at the two occupants of a blue Subaru Impreza parked on the street, before stealing the car.
The Subaru Impreza has not been recovered at this stage, and Police believe it may have been driven out of town.
The alleged offender had arrived in Ross Street in a yellow Mazda Familia. That car, which had subsequently been partly painted silver, has since been recovered by Police.
Police would like to hear from anyone who believes they may have seen either the Subaru Impreza or the Mazda Familia in the days since the aggravated robbery.
Also of interest to Police is a red Subaru Forester stolen from Dunedin and recovered in Invercargill yesterday.
If you have any information about these three vehicles, or any other information which could assist our enquiries, please contact Police via our 105 phone service or online at https://www.police.govt.nz/use-105, using Update My Report. Please reference file number 220819/6867.
Information can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111 or at www.crimestoppers-nz.org.
ENDS
Issued by Police Media Centre