Five youths as young as 12 years old allegedly ram-raided Silverdale Mall early this morning.
Police were called to the mall on Auckland’s Hibiscus Coast about 4.35am.
The five teenagers arrested were aged between 12 and 16.
A stolen vehicle was allegedly used to gain entry to the shopping complex, Senior Sergeant Carl Fowlie said.
Witnesses saw a group of five youths leaving the area on foot before police arrived, Fowlie said.
“Officers have apprehended the group a short distance away and taken them into custody without incident,” he said.
“Thankfully nobody was injured during this incident.
“But a lot of damage was done.”
Fowlie thanked the two members of the public who helped police deal with the incident.
“We are committed to holding those responsible for property crime to account, but we need the public’s help,” he said.
“We remind the community to be vigilant and ask that if they see anything suspicious to contact us immediately.”
Fowlie asked people to call 111 if an incident was happening at the time of the report, or phone 105 or the website to report an incident after the fact.
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