Te Awamutu Domino’s Pizza workers chase down brazen burglar as he steals TV from store

Waikato man Kevin Kaukau was chased down by Domino's staff after trying to steal a TV from the store in January last year. Image / Google Maps

A brazen burglar was chased down by pizza store workers after he was busted strolling in and taking off with a television.

Kevin Kaukau had also parked at the Waikato Hospital loading bay and filled his car with veggie crates and loaves of bread, and further stole up to 200 collapsible crates from Kaipaki Nursery.

Kaukau’s no stranger to the court, with Judge Kim Saunders noting in the Hamilton District Court this week that he had 17 convictions for burglary and had been in and out of jail since 2003.

He clocked up more convictions when pleading guilty to charges of burglary, shoplifting, unlawfully interfering with a motor vehicle, failing to stop and dangerous driving related to his recent offending.

Judge Saunders remanded him into custody ahead of his sentencing.

Vege crates, bread and a TV

According to the summary of facts, Kaukau used his own car in each of the burglaries.

In the first one, during December 2024, Kaukau and an associate drove up to the Waikato Hospital loading bay about 2pm.

He climbed onto the dock and went into the building, grabbed 31 vegetable crates and handed them to his associate, who then put them in the car.

Kaukau then went back in and stole a tray of bread, which held 10 loaves. The food was worth $385.

Three weeks later, in January last year, he went to Kaipaki Nursery at 12.55pm in his car, bearing incorrect number plates, and climbed through a toilet window in a building at the nursery.

He then opened the roller door from inside and reversed his car up to the building.

Kaukau then stole up to 200 collapsible crates valued at $2000.

A week later, he drove to Domino’s Pizza in Te Awamutu, parked around the back, and walked into a storeroom. In there, he found a new Samsung TV, still in its box.

As he tried to drag it towards the door, he was seen by staff on CCTV who chased him and stopped him.

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for 11 years and has been a journalist for 22.