A woman saw young men with hoods "larking around" and apparently "on something" before a security van was robbed at gunpoint yesterday in Auckland's eastern suburbs.
Police are investigating whether the holdup outside the Kiwibank at the Eastridge Shopping Centre in Kepa Rd, Orakei, was linked to an armed robberyat the nearby National Bank on March 4.
In that robbery, at least two men wearing balaclavas wrestled a cashbox from security van staff in front of alarmed lunchtime shoppers.
A fight broke out before the men got away in a champagne-coloured 2005 Subaru Forester stationwagon.
"Any crime involving firearms is of concern, particularly when there may be linkages between a series, so we are actively working on those investigations," said Detective Inspector Bruce Shadbolt, crime services manager for Auckland City police.
A customer at Pandoro eatery at Eastridge told worker Sonya Leao she thought she saw the robbers before the holdup.
"The woman came in and said, 'Oh my gosh, I actually saw them larking around before the cops got here and I thought they were actually on something,' and she got a bit scared," Ms Leao said yesterday.
Police say two men wearing balaclavas and brown hoodies pointed a gun - initially thought to be a handgun - at two security van staff outside the Kiwibank about 8.30am.
Detective Craig Stirling said "an amount" of cash was taken, but no one was injured.
"But it was very traumatic for these security guys."
The robbers drove off along Kepa Rd towards the city in an older model, silver BMW.
A witness told police she saw a white or silver BMW "zoom" past doing about 100km/h, but it was going too fast to read the registration plate.
Mr Shadbolt said Glen Innes CIB staff would trawl through CCTV footage, speak to witnesses and look at any evidence.
He said officers from other districts would be briefed on the robbery to look for links to other attacks.
Counties-Manukau police are looking for six people after a van robbery outside a supermarket last week.
Two men with rifles and an unarmed accomplice demanded money from security officers at the New World on Roscommon Rd in Manukau City.
* Anyone with information on the Eastridge robberies is urged to contact the Glen Innes CIB on (09) 524-1910 or Crime Stoppers on 0800-555-111.
