A Judea Rd woman, who the Bay of Plenty Times agreed not to name, said she was stunned to see the “massive” police presence with 20-plus officers, including up to a dozen Armed Offenders Squad members, when she looked out her gate.
“I thought to myself, ‘holy s***, what’s happening’. There were at least five to six police vehicles and police with guns everywhere.
“Oh my gosh, there was also a hazmat truck parked on Robins Rd, and as police officers were coming out of the property, they were going through the hazmat decontamination showers.”
Police cordoned off Waihi Rd and parts of Judea Rd in Tauranga last night.
“The police weren’t telling us the reason for the huge presence, and we had no idea how long it would be before our son could come home.
“It was stressful, scary and quite daunting.”
She said eventually she and her husband managed to persuade police to allow their son to be escorted home.
The woman’s husband said that when he tried to go looking for their son, he was turned back by the police.
“I certainly now understand there was a good reason why the police didn’t want our son to enter an active police scene, and their actions were clearly to help safeguard him and other residents.”
