Five held after bar robbery, blockade

Photo / Martin Sykes

Three women and two men allegedly held up an Auckland suburban bar with a shotgun before driving 20km across the city yesterday, where they were blocked in by armed police.

A witness saw a suspicious white car pull up on Carrington Rd in the western suburb of Pt Chevalier about 10am. Its occupants donned hooded sweatshirts before storming into Jokers Bar.

Police would not say how much cash was taken in the robbery.

The person noted the car's registration and phoned police, helping them track the alleged robbers to Carseta Pl, in the Manukau City suburb of Clover Park, a couple of hours later.

From about midday dozens of locals, including mothers with toddlers in strollers, gathered at a police cordon at the intersection of Othello Dr and Israel Ave in Clover Park, prevented from going home.

Sydney Koha was visiting his brother Shane Koha, the father of six young children.

"We are just concerned about the kids coming out of the school [Clover Park Middle School]," he told the Weekend Herald.

"Thank God it's over," Mr Koha said when police lifted the cordon about 3pm.

Acting Senior Sergeant Mark Rowbottom said bringing in the alleged robbers was a "textbook execution" by police.

Nobody had been hurt and five people - three women and two men - were in custody, he said.

Two streets away at Carseta Pl, armed police guarded the two houses of interest - one a well-kept yellow bungalow with flowerpots in front and white crocheted curtains, the other a two-storey wooden house on a sloping, grassy property with a stand-alone garage.

Neighbours said the families who lived there seemed friendly and had a number of small children.

"We don't talk to them or anything but they used to bring us fruit," said Lisi Pio.

But another resident said one suspect had only recently finished a home detention sentence.

Another neighbour said he had known a previous occupant who was "inside" now.

A Jokers staff member told the Weekend Herald nobody was hurt "and yes, we're back in business". Those who were working during the robbery had been sent home, she said.