Masked man threatens to stab pizza delivery man

Gisborne police are hunting a masked man who threatened to stab a pizza delivery man in a "stupid" aggravated robbery yesterday.

The delivery man, in his late teens, arrived at a Lawrence Street house about 11.30pm with a pizza order.

When he spoke with the occupants, it was discovered they had not made an order.

When the delivery man returned to his vehicle he was accosted by a Maori man wearing a black hoodie and blue bandana around part of his face.

He demanded the delivery man hand over his cash or "he would stab him", Detective Sergeant Kevin Ford said today.

The delivery man did what he was told, although no weapon was seen.

He was ordered by the offender to walk around the house to a shed.

Mr Ford said the man attempted to lock the delivery man inside the shed and ran away.

He described the incident as "stupid".

"To do that for such a small amount of cash, when you are going to go to jail for a long time...it's just stupid," he said.

- NZPA