Three Caught After Driving Into Security Firm

Offenders Apprehended After Driving Into Security Firm’s Complex

Three young Auckland offenders should have learnt to read a map before stealing a car in central Auckland yesterday.

The men, aged 17, 19, and 24 were apprehended in a joint effort between Matrix Security staff and the police at Central Park in Ellerslie, Auckland at about 5.15pm on Wednesday night after they drove into the business park where Matrix has its head office.

Police sent out a city-wide alert that a white Subaru Legacy car with the licence plate YO2199 was stolen and its occupants wanted in relation to several suspicious activities at about 4pm. The offenders were then spotted a short time later by a Matrix staff member, who was guarding a jewellery store in Newmarket, Auckland.

He called the sighting in and another Matrix car followed the unsuspecting offenders while they waited for police to respond. The car was followed for about 4km without the offenders realising before the first police car then joined the chase.

In an attempt to evade capture, the offenders turned off into Central Park where Matrix has its head office and dumped the car. Matrix was then able to call out several staff to help seal off the park. In the process they caught one of the offenders trying to escape on foot through a garden area.

More police arrived at the scene including four police dog handlers, two CIB cars, a sergeant’s wagon and two incident cars. Police officers with tracking dogs then apprehended the other two offenders in the ground floor toilets of Building 14 at Central Park, which houses Suburban Newspapers.

The 24-year-old has been charged with unlawfully taking a vehicle and unlawfully being on a property. The 17-year-old has been charged with unlawfully getting into a vehicle and unlawfully being on a property and the 19-year-old was charged with unlawfully getting into a vehicle. Other charges may follow.

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