KEY POINTS:
Two small boys, one with red bruises and grazes on his face, have appeared in court for allegedly shooting at police from a stolen car.
The pair, both 14, of small build, appeared one after the other in the Tauranga Youth Court yesterday and acknowledged to the judge the charges they faced were serious.
The boys were arrested after allegedly stealing guns and a car from Ruatoki and shooting at police during an 8km chase that ended in Mt Maunganui.
The two cannot be named because of their age but both were in the care of Child, Youth and Family when the incident happened early on Sunday.
They face 11 charges, including attempted murder and using a firearm against police, and were remanded in custody at separate youth justice facilities until July 16.
The younger boy, from Dunedin, appeared in the dock with red marks on his left cheek and forehead.
His lawyer, Tony Balme, asked for an adjournment until July 16, saying his client understood the circumstances of his arrest.
Judge Christopher Harding asked the boy himself, saying, "You understand you're facing very serious charges in this court?" The boy nodded.
He did not have family members in the court and was remanded to a youth justice facility in Manukau.
The older boy, from Te Puke, appeared first and was supported by his sister. He approached the dock with his arms folded and Judge Harding also asked him if he knew why he was in the court.
"Police say you've got a lot of charges against you, including very serious ones," the judge said.
The boy replied "yes" twice and waved to his sister, sitting a few metres away in the small, closed courtroom, before being escorted back to the cells.
He was remanded to a facility in the lower North Island after his lawyer, Craig Horsley, also asked for an adjournment until July 16.
Court documents listed the boy's address as Kiwi Tamaki Rd, which is the location of the Manukau youth justice facility.
Each boy faces three charges of using a firearm against police and extra charges of aggravated assault, aggravated burglary, burglary, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, theft, reckless driving and failure to stop.
The younger boy, who was in CYF custody before the incident, faces an additional charge of escaping custody.
The other boy was under CYF supervision but not in custody, so was not charged with escaping.
Outside court, the older boy's 19-year-old sister told the Herald her brother had been transferred from the Manukau facility to CYF care in Ruatoki about a month ago and had hated it so much there he had already escaped once before.
"He's not just a bad boy who tried to kill cops," she said. "There's a lot more to it."
Inspector Karl Wright St Clair of Tauranga was unaware of the red marks on the younger boy's face but said they might have got there during his arrest.
