Rotorua gang shooting: Teen admits opening fire at Westend traffic lights

A Black Power associate fired shots at utes containing Mongrel Mob members outside the Westend shops in Rotorua. Photos / NZME

He pulled a hood over his head and a scarf over his face, leaned out the front passenger window and fired five shots at two carloads of rival gang members.

It was 12.30pm on Malfroy Rd in Rotorua, just outside the busy Westend shops, when the Black Power associate, now aged 19, opened fire.

One of the bullets shattered the rear window of a ute carrying Mongrel Mob members, according to a police summary of facts.

Another bullet travelled through the open window of a member of the public’s car that was waiting at the traffic lights. The bullet lodged into the interior lining of the vehicle.

No one was hurt.

Now the teen, who has interim name suppression, has admitted to two charges for the September 19 shooting as well as 13 others relating to dangerously riding a trail bike – including doing wheelies in the CBD – and stealing cars.

Police summaries of the offending have been released to the Rotorua Daily Post.

The Westend shooting

The teen and a co-offender have pleaded guilty to charges of unlawfully carrying a firearm and discharging a firearm and will be sentenced on May 24 in the Rotorua District Court.

A police summary said the shopping centre on the corner of Malfroy and Old Taupo roads was busy with pedestrians and traffic at the time.

The summary said the teen was in the passenger seat and the co-offender was driving the Ford vehicle. Both were close associates of Black Power.

Two utes with Mongrel Mob members inside were stopped on Malfroy Rd at the traffic lights waiting to turn right into Old Taupo Rd.

The Ford approached the intersection and stopped behind one of the utes then immediately reversed about 10m, the summary said.

The teen disguised himself, leant out the window and produced a pistol, firing five times.

Both ute drivers drove to Old Taupo Rd with the Ford vehicle in pursuit. One of the utes reversed back towards Malfroy Rd and intentionally collided with the Ford, causing it to spin out of control and stop facing west on Malfroy Rd.

The drivers of all three vehicles then sped off.

Stealing cars

Police summaries have revealed details about how the teen was breaking into cars in the months leading up to the Westend shooting.

The teen has also admitted five counts of unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle, three counts of attempting to unlawfully take a motor vehicle and one count each of possession of instruments for breaking into motor vehicles, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and unlawfully being in an enclosed yard.

One police summary said Rotorua security camera operators saw the teen stealing a Toyota car in April.

The stolen car was dumped behind a property in Fordlands and police arrested the teen a short time later.

He had a large flathead screwdriver in his sock and a headlamp in his pocket.

A couple of weeks later, the teen entered Rydges Hotel on the corner of Tryon and Froude streets in a stolen Mazda Demio.

He smashed the quarter-light window of a Mazda Atenza, got in and broke the ignition barrel.

The summary said when he could not start the car, he tried the same process on a Toyota Aqua but was disturbed by police and ran off.

At the scene, police discovered another Toyota Aqua had also been broken into.

About 30 minutes later, the teen returned to that vehicle and tried to start it.

Hotel staff saw him but the teen ran off and climbed a fire escape to the first storey roof above the hotel loading bay, where he unsuccessfully tried to jimmy open the door to a hotel room.

Police arrested a teen car thief hiding on a hotel roof. Photo / NZME

He hid on the roof until police arrested him.

In another instance, the teen was linked to a stolen car through saliva in a can of drink that was left inside.

The Toyota Aqua, was broken into and taken from Rotorua Hospital that same month. and later found at a Fordlands house.

A saliva swab from the can was sent to the police’s national DNA database, which matched it to the teen.

Wheelies in the CBD

The teen has admitted two counts of driving in a dangerous manner from May.

A police summary said he was seen stationary at Lake Rd wearing a distinctive jacket and then riding on Old Taupo Rd with “complete disregard to road rules and other road users”.

Later that day, the teen – again not wearing a helmet – rode an unregistered bike through Rotorua’s central city. He was performing “wheelies” while standing on the seat, weaving in and out of traffic.

The learner driver did not have a motorcycle class driver’s licence.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.