Police hunt for escaped Mob member

Police are tonight continuing their hunt for Mongrel Mob member

Mana Justin Tangitutu
Mana Justin Tangitutu
who escaped from a court cell just after being sentenced yesterday.

 

Police asked for public help to find the 27-year-old, who escaped from Whakatane District Court yesterday afternoon after being sentenced to four months in prison for assaulting a woman.

After being sentenced he was put in a court cell by police officers on court escort duty. While the officers dealt with another prisoner, Tangitutu escaped and managed to leave the court building.

The escape was discovered a few minutes later, about 5.15pm.

A police spokeswoman said Tangitutu was still on the run this evening.

After he escaped, cordons were put in place around Whakatane, his victim was contacted and arrangements made to ensure her safety.

Eastern Bay of Plenty police area commander Inspector Sandra Venables said there would be a full investigation into how Tangitutu escaped and a review of court escort processes.

" ... our priority at this stage is locating him. I appeal to anyone who sees him or knows of his location to contact us immediately. It is of course possible that he will seek refuge with family or friends and I need to make it clear that anyone found to be assisting him in evading police could also face prosecution," Ms Venables said.

Tangitutu was described as Maori, about 1.8 metres tall. He has gang affiliations and a distinctive full facial tattoo with the word "Mongrel" above his upper lip and "MMM" on his forehead, which stands for Mighty Mongrel Mob.

He has links to Gisborne, Whakatane, Tauranga and Auckland's North Shore. He is known to carry weapons and should not be approached, police warned.

Any sightings should be reported immediately to police.

 

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