UPDATE - Investigation into aggravated robberies & fleeing driver crash

Waitemata, 14 April 2014 - The two males who were in a vehicle that crashed overnight following a series of aggravated robberies on the North Shore have now been released from hospital with minor injuries and are in Police custody.

Police can confirm the offenders are aged 16 and 17 years old.

At this stage the 16 year-old has been charged with aggravated robbery and is due to appear in the North Shore District Court today.

Detectives are still speaking with the 17 year-old male, however is also expected to be charged with aggravated robbery, and the pair are both expected to face further additional charges.

Police are continuing to work through all of the information gathered since the incident unfolded early this morning.

Further enquiries have now revealed that the first aggravated robbery that took place near the cemetry on Victoria Road at around 11pm was against two young men.

The two 18 year-old victims were approached by the two offenders and were allegedly punched and kicked. Both victims had their wallets stolen and one victim had his phone taken.

The aggravated robbery that occurred soon after, at 11.45pm in Clarence Street also involved two victims. A 23 year-old man and his 21 year-old girlfriend were allegedly approached by the two offenders as they sat in their car in a driveway on Clarence Street. The man was pulled from the car and hit around the head with a bottle, causing a gash to his head. The victim's girlfriend was also removed from the car and hit with a bottle.

The offenders then stole the man's car. The male victim was taken to North Shore Hospital, received medical treatment and has just been discharged.

During this course of events, Police also received a call from a female motorist who had been rammed by a vehicle near the Highbury shops in Birkenhead. The woman pulled over and one of the occupants of the offending vehicle allegedly got out of his car and approached her, attempted to open the door and then banged on the car with his fists. The victim managed to drive away before the offender could gain entry.

The victim of the incident at the Glenfield McDonalds around midnight was a 17 year-old man who was standing outside the restaurant on the corner of Kaipatiki and Glenfield Roads. One of the offenders allegedly got out of a vehicle as the other waited inside the car. The victim was threatened and had his backpack ripped from him. The offender got back in the car and fled.

Police are in the process of speaking further with all of the victims and taking formal statements, they will all be offered assistance from Victim Support.

Detective Senior Sergeant Stan Brown, North Shore Police says this was a situation that involved a rapid escalation of offending across multiple areas, and involved a number of Police units across the North Shore and Auckland areas.

"We're now working to piece together the events as they unfolded. We've got a number of scene examinations underway, we've seized the two cars that are believed to have been stolen and they'll be forensically examined over the next few days" says Det Snr Sgt Brown.

The four people who were found by Police in the first stolen car at Devonport have assisted with enquiries, two of them have been charged on unrelated matters.

"At this stage we can't say what has caused this offending, and questions about whether drugs or alcohol were involved are factors which we'll be looking into" says Det Snr Sgt Brown.

Anyone who believes they may have witnessed any of the above incidents is asked to contact North Shore Police on 09 477 5072.

ENDS

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