Two teenagers have been arrested after an alleged jewellery heist in Auckland's Onehunga yesterday afternoon.
The incident on Onehunga Mall began shortly after 4pm and saw two people carrying hammers enter the store and start smashing cabinets, police said yesterday.
A "large amount" of jewellery was stolen, Detective Senior Sergeant Scott Armstrong said today.
Inquiries were underway when, after 10pm, a vehicle that had fled the scene was spotted in Papakura.
"Staff deployed into the area, locating the vehicle travelling through Manurewa and Eagle [helicopter] was soon providing observations from overhead," Armstrong said.
"Police attempted to stop this vehicle on Roscommon Rd, but it drove away at speed and was not pursued.
"A minor collision occurred with a member of the public's vehicle, but occupants avoided injury."
Police spiked the vehicle as it entered the Southwestern Motorway but it continued north.
"Eagle has continued to observe the vehicle's erratic driving on the motorway, with it eventually returning south and exiting at Massey Rd," Armstrong said.
The vehicle was spiked again as it travelled towards Mt Wellington Highway.
Police then began to pursue the vehicle before it joined the South Eastern Highway towards Pakuranga.
"Throughout this incident, the vehicle has been driven extremely erratically and fortunately no members of the public suffered any harm."
Eventually, the vehicle collided with barriers at the intersection of Ti Rakau Drive and Reeves Rd, police said.
"These offenders approached another member of the public's vehicle; however, our staff quickly got the pair, aged 15 and 17, into custody," Armstrong said.
"We have also recovered a large amount of jewellery in the vehicle."
The 17-year-old boy has been charged with aggravated robbery, dangerous driving, failing to stop and two counts of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, while the 15-year-old boy was charged with aggravated robbery and two counts of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.
The 17-year-old was also charged in connection with "a violent attempted robbery" at a Mt Albert sports bar on June 22.
"Those charges include four counts of aggravated wounding, assault with intent to rob, committing a burglary with a weapon and assault," Armstrong said, adding the pair are set to appear in Auckland Youth Court today.
Police will oppose bail for the older boy.
"Police are appalled at the level of violence used in these sorts of incidents," Armstrong said. "We will continue to actively investigate this sort of offending which causes a high level of harm to the business owners as well as the wider community."
SHARE ME