Wellington Police believes the same person could be responsible for two aggravated robberies at suburban service stations in Wellington this morning.
In both cases the lone offender lifted his shirt to show what the victims thought to be a tomahawk axe blade and handle positioned across the offender's waist. He left the attendants in both robberies traumatised and disappeared with less than $300 in total from both offences.
Police are sure images from the CCTV footage will help find the person responsible. They encourage people who recognise the man in the photographs to contact Wellington Police.
The first robbery was at Shell in Constable Street, Newtown, at 5.20am today. A male walked into the front of the service station, indicated he had weapon and demanded the contents of the till.
Acting Detective Sergeant Andrew Compton, Wellington CIB, said the victim described the offender as dark skinned, possibly Fijian. He wore a black beanie which was tight over his face, topped by a black cap. He wore a red t shirt and a long sleeved grey jacket and baggy jeans.
He was in his mid 20s, 5ft 8in or 175 cm tall and of medium build. Acting Detective Sergeant Compton said the offender left on foot, possibly into nearby Daniell Street where a police dog found a cap in the middle of the road. The track then disappeared indicating he may have left the scene by car.
"The Shell attendant did all the right things. He stayed calm, handed over the money, and promptly called police on 111," he said.
At 8.45am, the Caltex Station in Broadway, near Wellington Airport was targeted. Again a man walked into the shop, demanded money from the till and left with a small sum.
Acting Detective Sergeant Compton said the offender again revealed the top of his shirt so that the attendant could see the handle and blade of a tomahawk. This victim described it as black handled, and about 30cm long.
The robber in this case wore a black beanie, and had some noticeable acne scars. He also wore a black cap with a white emblem on it - possibly the silver fern with the peak of the cap tipped back.
This time he was wearing jeans and a black, grey and white multi panelled top. Back sections of the sleeves were black, and the large numbers 77 were stamped in a dark colour along with dark writing on the white back of the top. There was also writing on the front of the black and white panels of his top.
The robber wore a fingerless woollen glove in his left hand at both incidents.
This time he fled the service station and possibly ran down the subway which goes underneath the airport runway between Miramar and Kilbirnie.
If anyone can help with information about these robberies, knows who the offender is or saw any suspicious activity outside the service stations this morning, please contact Wellington Police on 0800 TIPOFF.
Ends
Photos show:
• hat from the Shell service station • offender wearing multi panelled sweatshirt and mask at Caltex • back of offender's shirt at Caltex