Armed police are hunting a man who pointed a pistol at a constable after the policeman and his partner stumbled upon a robbery in progress in Auckland.
Detectives are warning the man - who they named as Teaea Samuel - to give himself up before he is shot by police.
The hunt
began after the officers came across people being robbed of clothing in a bus shelter in Mangere East's McKinistry Ave about 1 am on Sunday.
Detective Sergeant Neil Grimstone, of the Mangere CIB, said two men then fled, one on foot and the other in a nearby car.
A chase ensued. The man on foot stopped and pointed a pistol at one of the constables, warning him to back off.
As he was doing so, the constable was nearly hit by a car.
"He was lucky to get out of it unhurt. He's a bit shaken now but he's all right," said Detective Sergeant Grimstone.
The constable's partner picked him up in their patrol car and chased the vehicle driven by one of the suspects who had by now picked up the man with the pistol. After a brief chase the fleeing men crashed their car. One man was arrested, but the man identified as Samuel escaped.
"This guy needs to hand himself in before he gets himself shot," said Detective Sergeant Grimstone. "He's shown that he's quite prepared to pull a firearm out on a police officer.
"To pull out anything that looks like a gun on a police officer is a pretty hazardous thing to do. If the officers had been armed he might not be alive today."
Up to six South Auckland properties had been searched in the hunt for Samuel, Detective Sergeant Grimstone said.
Police want to speak to the two people who were being robbed at the bus shelter.
