Police seek information on lone gunman

File photo / Hawke's Bay Today

Police are seeking information after a dairy north of Thames on the Coromandel Peninsula was robbed at gunpoint on Saturday morning.

A lone-offender, described as a teenage Caucasian male, entered the Boomerang Store in Te Puru around 6.48am, armed with a pistol-type firearm.

Police said the man showed the weapon to a female staff member as he walked behind the counter. He then grabbed her by the throat and pushed her into a freezer as he made his way to the tobacco display. The victim ran out to the back of the store to raise the alarm, police said.

The victim was not injured but was very shaken as a result of the robbery.

The offender was wearing a dark blue or black hooded sweatshirt with "AB" in white writing on the front, and a light-coloured item was covering the lower half of his face. He also had on black shorts and black Chuck Taylor shoes with long black socks and was carrying a blue and black satchel-type bag with red padding on shoulder strap.

Thames police would like to speak to anyone who may recognise the person described or anyone who was in the Te Puru area between 6.45am and 7.15am on Saturday morning.

- NZ HERALD STAFF