Napier: Member of public assaulted while confronting teens during armed dairy hold up - police

Three teens have been arrested after an attack on a member of the public trying to stop them from committing an armed hold-up of a dairy, police say.

Two of the teens allegedly entered the Napier dairy carrying weapons on the afternoon of August 15, threatening the owner and stealing cigarettes and vape products while the third teen stood guard.

Hawke’s Bay criminal investigations branch Detective Steve Leonard said police arrested two of the youths at Hawke’s Bay addresses during search warrants executed this week.

The pair appeared in court this week on multiple charges.

A third teenager was caught in Auckland during another robbery incident and would be charged with the same offences, Leonard said.

Leonard said the trio’s crime spree began between 2.30pm and 5.30pm on August 15 when they tried to steal a Nissan Bluebird.

Unable to start the car, they moved on to a Nissan Tiida and stole it from a Napier CBD car park, driving the Nissan and a second vehicle to a location in Napier, he said.

Leonard said they then made their way in the stolen Nissan to the dairy.

As they left the store after the hold-up they were confronted by a concerned member of the public who was allegedly assaulted by two of the offenders.

“We are pleased to have put these individuals before the courts in relation to this matter,” Leonard said.

“This type of offending creates widespread harm in our communities, and we will continue to find, arrest and hold the offenders accountable.”

Leonard wanted to remind the public to contact the police immediately if they see suspicious or illegal behaviour.

Call 111 if it’s happening now, or 105 if it’s after the fact.