Greenhithe ram raid: Men chase thieves down highway after liquor store robbery

Four ram raiders got the scare of their lives when confronted by two robbery men before being chased down an Auckland motorway.

The attackers had just crashed into the Greenhithe Liquor Center on Saturday when two locals chose to engage – blocking the attackers’ path with their Range Rover and pursuing them until the police took over.

One of the men, who spoke anonymously to the Herald, said he called police halfway through and jokingly asked to be made a temporary agent so he could complete the arrest.

“We were arguing with him saying, ‘Come on man, replace us so we can chase these guys out and get them out of the car,'” the man said.

A police spokeswoman acknowledged the distress such incidents have caused business owners, but strongly discouraged members of the public from taking matters into their own hands.

“This puts the public at increased risk of harm and the police try to avoid an escalation in these situations.

“Our advice is to report any offensive or suspicious behavior by calling 111 so that the police can respond and deal with the matter.”

Four youths have been arrested after police rammed their getaway car, stealing alcohol and cigarettes and causing alleged damage of $200,000.

The man acknowledged that his actions were “probably not sensible”, but warned that offenders could face problems if they encounter less lenient people.

The liquor store owner believed that the repercussions of the violation were not sufficient to curb the behavior.

It was around 11:50 p.m. Saturday when the pair heard a crash and the liquor store alarm went off after the ram raid.

The men have chosen to act – their patience has been exhausted after similar incidents have happened every year at local businesses for the past decade.

One of the men told the Herald he rushed to his Range Rover, hoping to block the offenders’ exit, while his friend walked to the store.

“My friend, who is a bit of a tough case, ran over and said, ‘I hope you have guns,’ to which they seemed a little surprised.

“Then I jumped in front of them and said, ‘Come on m*****f******, let’s go’.”

The attackers had used one vehicle to smash through the storefront and had another as an escape vehicle.

Once the youngsters managed to escape the blockade of the man’s vehicle, they headed down Rame Rd towards Greenhithe Quay.

Apparently unbeknownst to them, it was a thin dead end that allowed the two men to park across the road to block their exit.

Having to get off the road to pass the men, the attackers took another dead end road.

“They were real puppets,” the man said.

Eventually they arrived on the Upper Harbor Motorway heading west towards Hobsonville – with the two men in hot pursuit.

It was then that the men realized they had to inform the authorities.

“We confronted the guys and then we started chasing them in the car and then I was like, ‘Holy shit, we better call the cops’, so it was kind of an afterthought. “

Predictably, the police representative on call refused the couple’s request to be deputized so they could complete the job.

“I was joking with him saying, ‘Go get your sergeant’.”

The men followed the offenders as they drove towards Hobsonville where they engaged in a game of cat and mouse which saw the couple attempt to block the offenders’ efforts to return to the highway.

They were told their pursuit was no longer necessary when the police Eagle helicopter located the vehicle and it was subsequently grounded on Don Buck Rd in Massey.

“It’s probably not the most sensible thing to do, but because it’s happened so many times, it was the right thing to do for [the store owner].

“He’s a good guy and he doesn’t deserve it.”

The man suspected it was only a matter of time before offenders would get more than they bargained for in such incidents.

“At some point someone is going to get their hands on guys doing this and it will be ugly.”

When the Herald visited the liquor store on Monday, staff were still cleaning up broken glass and sorting through damaged inventory.

Almost the entire storefront had been replaced with plywood. An unsaleable wine palette lay outside, worth between $8,000 and $10,000.

In total, the owner estimated the youths had done $200,000 in damage.

They allegedly stole approximately $400 worth of cigarettes and alcohol.

Noting the recent spike in ram raids, particularly across Auckland, the owner admitted he feared he was next.

“At the rate it’s going, I’ve been expecting this for a month,” he said.

“I was just going, ‘When is it my turn’, and all the retailers are the same – it’s not if it’s going to happen, it’s when it’s going to happen.”

He lamented heavy investments in security measures that only led to further damage.

The owner felt the repercussions for offenders did not sufficiently deter people from committing ram raids and burglaries, citing a similar sentiment among other members of the community.

“The consequences are not there, there are no consequences for their actions.”

Although overall youth crime has not increased significantly, ram raids have made headlines in recent months after a spike in such activity became evident, as police said.

Several high-profile incidents garnered widespread media coverage, namely the brazen ramming raid at the Ormiston Town Center shopping mall in South Auckland by more than a dozen youths.