The man who shot at two Police Officers in Swanson at about 2.20 this morning is believed to be 40 year-old Richard Alan Duthie of no fixed abode.
Duthie has been on the run for some months from Police who have a warrant for his arrest in relation to drug offences.
He is armed and considered dangerous, so anyone who sees him should call Police on 111 immediately.
He's a Caucasian of medium to solid build, has sandy-coloured hair and a mole on the right side of his nose. He stands 175 cm tall.
Henderson Police investigating the non-injury shooting say the two officers shot at were lucky to get away from the scene unhurt. Uniformed officers stopped a man - now believed to be Richard Duthie - driving a blue Holden Commodore S, shortly after 2am on Sturges Rd, Henderson.
After speaking with the man who they believed gave a false name, he drove off and was pursued into O'Neil's Rd in Swanson where he lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a ditch. When the officers approached they were verbally threatened with being shot, so retreated to consider their options.
When they reapproached the car, two shots were fired by the driver who then managed to manoeuvre the car out of the ditch and drive off. The car was recovered by Henderson Police in Ranui at about 8 o'clock this morning and is being examined at Henderson Police Station.
The driver was not the registered owner of the car and Police inquiries are being carried out to determine how he came to be in possession of it.
Detective Inspector Steve Wood of the Waitemata CIB says staff safety is paramount when dealing with these sorts of inquiries and it's vital that members of the public call Police on 111 if they see Richard Duthie or have information about where he is.
"This man is prepared to shoot at Police and there's no telling what other lengths he's prepared to go to to maintain his freedom," Mr Wood said.
"We're doing all we can to try and track him down, but we always rely on members of the public for information when it comes to finding people who don't want to be found."
ENDS
Issued by Noreen Hegarty
Auckland City Police Communications Manager
Ph 09 302 6947 or 0274-951-589
Website: www.police.govt.nz