A man has been arrested over a terrifying late night robbery
in which staff and patrons were ordered to the floor of a
Christchurch bar at gunpoint.
Two masked gunmen jumped a back wall and entered the rear of
Sideline Bar on Stanmore Rd in Richmond late on Wednesday
night.
They yelled at the two female bar staff and four patrons to
get onto the floor, and then forced a staff member to open
the safe.
The offenders ran off with a unknown sum of money, leaving
the bar staff and patrons shaken.
They were believed to have left the scene at speed in a white
Subaru Impreza.
Police today said they had arrested a 24-year-old man in
connection with the robbery on Friday night.
The man appeared in Christchurch District Court yesterday on
a charge of aggravated robbery. He was remanded in custody
until Tuesday.
Detective Senior Sergeant Tony Hill said police were still
seeking public help to identify a second offender.
"Anyone who has seen a white coloured Subaru Impreza in the
areas of Richmond, Shirley or Edgeware immediately after
11.30pm on Wednesday night is urged to contact police as soon
as possible," Mr Hill said.
"We are also interested in hearing from retailers or members
of the public who have seen anyone matching the descriptions
of the offenders, and using large amounts of gold coins to
make transactions."
The offenders were both described as Maori or Pacific Island
men in their mid-20s, about 1.8m tall and wearing dark
clothing with their faces covered.
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