Brutal footage of Papatoetoe dairy robbery released

Police are searching for a man who brutally assaulted a dairy owner and they believe is responsible for a series of aggravated robberies. Photo: Counties Manukau

Counties Manukau Police have released CCTV footage of a brutal assault against a dairy owner, in the hope that someone will recognise the offender.

The footage is of an aggravated robbery that took place on Thursday 7 July at a dairy in Papatoetoe.

The offender entered the shop armed with a knife.

Police said the decision to release the footage was not taken lightly.

"What we are releasing is footage of a quite sickening assault. We are doing this because during this assault the offender's hoody has slipped and we can see his very distinctive tattoos, his face and his body shape" says Detective Inspector Fa'amanuia Va'aelua, Counties Manukau Police.

The offender fled after his knife broke during the assault and the shopkeeper was not seriously injured.

Just over an hour later, the same man is believed to have taken a pistol and committed another aggravated robbery at a petrol station in Onehunga.

No one was injured in that incident.

Despite the publication of still images of the man on the Counties Manukau Police Facebook page and Police Ten 7, he is yet to be identified and located, and Police believe the same man committed another robbery on Wednesday night in Otahuhu.

At around 6.30pm, a dairy on Great South Road in Otahuhu was robbed at gunpoint, again by a sole male offender fitting this description.

The frightened shop worker managed to lock herself away in a room behind the shop and the man fled with two cellphones he stole from the counter.

"We have a team of detectives working on this and this is a priority investigation.
We've put a lot of work into trying to find this man and have made a vast number of enquiries, including looking at similar offending, forensic evdience and criminal profiling.

"We believe this man may also be responsible for up to another 7 robberies of dairies and petrol stations across Auckland that have occurred since June.
" says Detective Inspector Va'aelua.

Last Saturday two Manurewa dairies were robbed, and on Tuesday in Pt Chevalier, a dairy was robbed at gunpoint by a man fitting this description.

Police have carried out forensic scene examinations at all locations, CCTV footage has been gathered and is being analysed wherever it is available, but at this point the man remains unidentified and outstanding.

"The fact that this man has used extreme violence against the man in the video is obviously a concern, and his offending is not stopping.

"I want to reassure people that we are doing everything possible to catch this offender, but we need public help" he says.

"Someone will know who this is, especially his distinctive tattoos" he says.

The offender is described as having:
-A full sleeve tattoo covering his left forearm
-A 2-3 inch band tattoo on his upper right forearm, near the elbow
-Maori or Pacific Islander, aged between 25 to 35 years old
-Scruffy/bushy black hair
-Possibly a moustache and goatie beard

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Counties Manukau Police Major Crime team on 09 213 9444.

Information can also be given anonymously to the organisation Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.