A 7-year-old girl forced to hide at the back of her family’s dairy while it was held up by armed young men keeps asking her father whether police have caught the robbers yet.
The owner of Lake Road Dairy in Rotorua, on the corner of
Rotorua dairy owner, daughter hide during armed robbery
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The dairy owner, who did not want to be named, said he was behind the counter with two visiting friends and his 7-year-old daughter when the robbers entered.
He said one jumped over the counter, wielding the tyre iron. The owner, his friends and his daughter ran to the back of the store and hid.
While there, the owner activated a fog cannon, which sent fog throughout the store.
He said it was scary for his daughter, but she was doing okay.
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“She keeps asking if the police have caught the robbers,” he said.
He has owned the dairy for seven years, and said it was the second time he had been robbed.
Caught on camera
CCTV footage supplied to the Rotorua Daily Post shows a silver car pull up to the dairy. Two people wearing hoodies and with their faces covered run inside while a third gets into the driver’s seat and reverses into a car park near the front door.
Inside, the one with the tyre iron leaps over the counter. Fog begins to pour in as he rips out the till and hands it to the other offender, then gathers other items from shelves. They leave in the silver car.
Police said in a statement on Wednesday night that the alleged offenders were young men who stole tobacco and the store’s till.
They confirmed on Thursday morning that one teen had been referred to the Rotorua Youth Court.
No one else had yet been arrested.
Detective Sergeant Jonathon Brady said in Wednesday’s statement that police were appealing to the public for information and were confident that people knew who was responsible. They encouraged them to come forward.
Information can be passed on by phoning 105 and quoting file number 250427/4078 or anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.
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