Youths arrested after third Gull robbery in Napier

A guard patrols the Napier Gull service station after three youths robbed the store making off with cigarettes on Sunday morning. Photo / Duncan Brown

Napier Gull management staff are relieved that police captured two of three youths just hours after they robbed the store early on Sunday morning.

They entered the store about 3am, using a baseball bat to threaten staff before making off with cigarettes.

Staff members were not injured and a police spokesperson said the quick arrests were made due to police recognising the thieves who have been referred to Youth Aid, but they were still looking for the third.

A staff member at the Napier Gull said he was thankful that two people had been caught, as it was the third time their store had been targeted in less than two years.

"It still doesn't help with the event that has just passed, but it's better that they were caught than not caught, in my opinion," he said. "The staff are shaken by what's occurred but they will come out of it with time.

"This is our third robbery in the last two years and it's not good."

The police spokesperson said two of the three youths made earlier attempts to break into the Gull service station on Omahu Rd in Hastings on Saturday night, but were unsuccessful.

CCTV footage of their failed attempts were shared to members of the public across social media platforms by police.

The youths then turned their attention to the Napier store on Taradale Rd and took off in a green, 2000s model Subaru station wagon which they also used in the Napier robbery.

CCTV cameras were also operating on site which police were using as part of their investigation.

It was an awful case of déjà vu for Gull staff members as two other previous robberies had uncanny similarities.

A similar instance occurred in November late last year, where three people entered the store with a baseball bat, stealing cigarettes and cash.

Staff members were also confronted by a group of youths in July 2018 where a staff member was assaulted with a weapon and the youths took cigarettes and cash before fleeing the store.

Three teenagers were arrested as a result of that robbery.