The burglary is understood to have happened in the Waikato town of Morrinsville on October 29, 2022.Video / Supplied
Footage has emerged of police seeking safety in their vehicle after a team of thieves attempted to run them over, knocked over a lamp post and proceeded to ram-raid a Waikato electronics store.
The video posted on social media platform Tiktok on Friday shows two of the offenders exiting an appliance store in Morrinsville before fleeing the scene.
A police car is on-site but doesn't interfere and officers remain in their car as the thieves exit a smashed front window.
An NZ Police spokesperson said the footage of the end of the ram raid “only tells part of the story”.
Police confirmed there were eight to 10 offenders robbing Heathcote Appliances in Morrinsville.
“Immediately prior to this video the offenders attempted to reverse a car into two police officers who had left their vehicle and gone on foot to attempt to apprehend the offenders,” police said.
"The officers narrowly escaped being struck by the offenders' car because it hit a lamp post, causing the lamp post to fall over into the street.
“The officers retreated to the police vehicle as part of their threat assessment methodology and called for back-up.”
The burglary is understood to have happened in the Waikato town of Morrinsville on October 29, 2022.
Video / Supplied
A second attempt to reverse their car into a police vehicle can be seen in the video but is unsuccessful as the offenders collide with the lamp post as it lies on the street.
“The offenders then fled the scene in two cars which were later located, abandoned. Police are conducting an investigation into the incident and following lines of inquiry in order to hold the offenders accountable,” police said.
The owner of one of the stolen vehicles, Kirsty Currie, told the Herald she and her husband were woken by police at 5am on Friday who told them their car had been stolen and used in the ram raid.
“Our cars were parked outside our bedroom window and we didn’t hear a thing ... they tried to steal my husband’s car but couldn’t get inside because the battery was flat so they took the brand-new car that we have only had for two weeks.”
Currie told the Herald that their car is now in a tow yard.
“We haven’t seen it yet but apparently the ignition has been pulled out, the back window is broken and there are dents in the back of the car from where they smashed into the lamp pole.”
