A second man has been charged with murder after a motorcyclist died on an Auckland street last Friday.
In an update this evening, police said further arrests had been made in the case after a first suspect charged with murder appeared in an Auckland court earlier today.
Detective Inspector Scott Beard said the investigation headed south into Waikato where the new arrests were made.
"Two men were taken into custody near Te Awamutu without incident,” he said.
"We have charged a 21-year-old man with murder and we are currently speaking with the second man as part of the investigation."
The 21-year-old man arrested near Te Awamutu was expected to appear in the Hamilton District Court tomorrow, according to a police spokesperson.
The news came after a man appeared in the Auckland District Court in the case today. This suspect, also aged 21, was charged with murder earlier in the investigation.
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First accused appears in court
The man first charged with murder in the case, a 21-year-old, appeared in the Auckland District Court today before Judge June Jelas. He appeared on charges that the judge confirmed were the result of a gang-related incident.
The hearing was held in a closed court due to concerns about safety.
Police alleged the accused man was in a car that collided with a 33-year-old man on a motorbike on Harris Rd in Mt Wellington at lunchtime last Friday.
Police said the accused chased the motorbike rider down and stabbed him.
The injured man died later that day in hospital.
Later on Friday, police located a blue Nissan March that they said was involved in the collision. The car was found around 2km away from the incident on a residential street in the suburb of Ellerslie.
Details of further charges against the murder accused were revealed in court today.
He is also alleged to have driven a vehicle in a dangerous manner, and to have been in possession of a firearm and pistol, as well as 17 rounds of shotgun ammunition and 72 rounds of pistol ammunition.
A 21-year-old man has been charged with murder following the incident which occurred in broad daylight on Friday. (Source: 1News)
Judge Jelas on Monday ruled the names of the accused and victim would remain suppressed, as well as the names of any gangs involved.
The accused who appeared in an Auckland court today is due to next appear in the High Court in January 2026.
Beard said of the investigation today: "Our team has made extraordinary progress in recent days in working to locate those we will allege are responsible for this violent act.
"The community should take some reassurance that we have arrested two men we believe are the primary offenders in this case. There is still a lot of work ahead of us and we cannot rule out further arrests, so this is not over."
Additional reporting by 1News Reporters
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