Police are continuing to monitor gang movements in South Auckland as associates and family of slain Mongrel Mob member Daniel Eliu bid him farewell.
Dozens of motorbikes rumbled over State Highway 20 this morning behind Eliu’s hearse, with riders wearing Mongrel Mob patches from as far away as the South Island. Gang members blocked other traffic at roundabouts and intersections as the procession made its way to Mangere Memorial Hall.
A red ute with patched gang members standing in the back also drove behind the hearse on the motorway, as did patched members of the King Cobras gang.
“Seig f***ing heil!” mourners repeatedly yelled in unison, followed by barking and the Mongrel Mob salute as the coffin was carried inside.
The procession regrouped hours later as Eliu’s body was taken to Manukau Memorial Gardens for burial.
Counties Manukau Acting District Commander Inspector Matthew Srhoj said while there had been no significant issues reported following today’s tangi in South Auckland, police would maintain a strong presence in the hours to come.
Srhog said they had been pleased with the overall behaviour of gang members with no reports of significant or serious incidents in relation to the gathering. Several driving infringements would be followed up in coming days.
“We would like to thank members of the community who have been in touch with us, and for their patience as the large procession passed through the district. Police will maintain a visible presence on the roads for the rest of the day, and we urge all those travelling on our roads to not act in a way that puts others at risk,” he said.
Earlier police warned they would be out in force during the tangi procession.
“Officers have a highly visible presence in areas where we know gang members and associates are travelling,” a police spokesperson said earlier today. “Any unlawful behaviour will be investigated and followed up with enforcement action.
“Police will maintain a visible presence on the roads and urge all those travelling on our roads to not act in a way that puts other road users at risk.”
If anyone is concerned for their safety, they are asked to call 111.
Police also encouraged the public to send in footage of any concerning behaviour. It can be submitted at online at 105.police.govt.nz. Tips can also be phoned in by calling 105 or anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Eliu, a notorious member of the gang who also had links to the Head Hunters, was fatally gunned down on Saturday, December 17, in front of Manukau’s Seventh Day Adventist Church on Puhinui Rd.
The 46-year-old had been attending a graduation for the Grace Foundation, a Christian-based intensive rehabilitation programme catering to those “truly on the margins of New Zealand society” who are seeking to put their criminal pasts behind them.
Although Eliu wasn’t graduating himself that day, he had been in the programme for about six months.
The group, which holds such events each Saturday, was waiting outside the church about 10am for a Christmas meal when the shooting occurred.
Police have not yet made any arrests in the week-and-a-half since the death. But he appears to have been “deliberately targeted”, authorities have previously said.
Eliu’s death this month was far from the first time his name has been in the media - although he has previously been noted as the accused rather than the victim.
He was ordered to serve an 11-year prison stint for a 2006 knife attack and revenge kidnapping of a man whom Eliu suspected had “narked” on a Head Hunters-affiliated friend of his - allegedly telling police about the friend’s possession of a loaded pistol.
Using a boxcutter, Eliu slashed the victim’s face from his jaw to his hairline.
The prolonged attack also resulted in wounds to the man’s chest and arm, resulting in Eliu’s eventual conviction for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.
The Court of Appeal, in upholding the 11-year sentence, described it as “stern” but noted “this was a particularly bad crime of its kind”.
Other arrests over the past several decades have included an alleged escape from guards at Otahuhu District Court in 2000, as he was facing home invasion charges from 1999, and an alleged Christmas Day kidnapping in 2005.
Police at the time of the 2005 incident described it as a “nasty, sustained assault” on his former partner as he held her captive in a car for five hours.
But Grace Foundation co-founder David Letele Snr, a former Mongrel Mob member who witnessed the shooting and was present during Eliu’s last moments, described the longtime acquaintance as just another person in need of hope and healing.
In that regard, Letele previously told the Herald, Eliu wasn’t much different than many of the others who’ve sought help from the Grace Foundation over the years “just to get on a journey that’s more positive”.
Since his death, Eliu has been remembered by family as someone who was reluctant to outwardly show emotions but went out of his way to show his love in other ways. He would call his children from prison in an effort to keep a connection and he often expressed his affection by spending money on others, family recalled.
The funeral was attended by fellow members of a Samoan culture course he attended at Grace Foundation in his final months.
Two consecutive hakas led by the Mongrel Mob could be heard echoing from Mangere Memorial Hall.