Man charged over Tauranga firearms incident
Thursday, 31 July 2014 - 3:59am
At approximately 8.45pm last night (Wednesday, 30 July) police received a driving complaint on SH2 near Katikati. A
short time later the vehicle was located stationary at Whakamarama and as police approached the vehicle it drove off
towards Tauranga.
A pursuit was initiated and spikes were also used in an attempt to stop the vehicle. At the Baypark roundabout the
vehicle lost control and came to rest on the roundabout. Three police officers exited two police vehicles at which point
a firearm was discharged in the direction of the officers.
A man from the vehicle headed on foot into Truman Lane as members of the public started to exit Baypark Arena. Witness
information is still being collated but at this stage police are aware of attempts to take three vehicles from members
of the public at gunpoint.
A staff member at a nearby commercial building has then been confronted by a man with a firearm and a vehicle has been
taken. An attempt was made by police to challenge him as he left but the vehicle failed to stop.
The vehicle was then spiked and the officer deploying the spikes had to take action to avoid being struck by the
vehicle. Police lost sight of the vehicle and initiated area searches. Approximately 40 minutes later the vehicle was
spotted again near the Maungatapu Bridge and another pursuit was initiated. The vehicle was followed onto Marine Parade
at which point a firearm was presented out of the driver’s window and it has fallen to the ground. A short time later
the vehicle came to a stop and a 32-year-old man from Auckland was arrested by armed officers without further incident.
A firearm was recovered in Marine Parade and both spent and live ammunition was recovered in the area of Baypark.
Area Commander for Western Bay of Plenty, Inspector Clifford Paxton, said: “This was an extremely fast-moving and
serious situation. The priority for police staff was to try to contain the situation as quickly as possible and maximize
the safety of the community. We are extremely pleased that no-one was injured. Although we have identified a number of
members of the public who were confronted in the Baypark area, we want to hear from anyone else who was caught up in the
incident and has not yet spoken to police so that we can ensure they receive any welfare support that they might
require.”
The arrested man will appear in Tauranga District Court later today charged with using a firearm against a law
enforcement officer. Other charges are expected to follow.
Anyone directly affected by this incident or anyone who has any information that may assist the investigation is asked
to contact Tauranga Police on 07 577 4300.
ends