Arrest over brazen armed robbery

Police have arrested a man over a robbery two years ago which saw police chase a coin trail across a Christchurch road and left four people locked in a bottle store.

Christchurch police today charged the last offender in relation to the armed hold-up of the Bedrock Bar, situated on Lincoln Road, Addington on June 19 2009.

A 23-year-old beneficiary has been charged with the aggravated robbery, and joins a 20-year-old and a 37-year-who were charged last month.

He will appear in Rangiora Court tomorrow morning.

Detective Sergeant Scott Anderson of Christchurch South Police said it was alleged that after closing three men, armed with a gun, knife and tyre iron robbed a security guard of his cigarettes, cellphone and money as he left the bar.

They held the security guard at the rear of the premises, and after confronting the manager and a visitor who arrived at the bar, headed inside the bar.

Once inside the two bar staff, the visitor and the last remaining patron were held in the toilet.

The manager was forced at gun point to open the safe and a large amount of cash was stolen.

The offenders then shut the others in the bottle store, and ran from the bar. Their money bag had a hole in it as they left a coin trail across Lincoln Road into the Addington Mall.

Detective Sergeant Anderson says that the investigation has relied on forensic evidence gathered at the scene, which has been linked the offenders.