Armourguard van robbery from Manukau BNZ

Police were today taking DNA swabs and fingerprints from the stolen car used in a 0000 armed robbery in South Auckland. The 1998 white Subaru WRX sedan was found late yesterday afternoon in Ryan Place, Manukau City – about 300m from the Bank of New Zealand branch where the robbery occurred on Friday night. An Armourguard driver was confronted by a balaclava-clad gunman as he prepared to load the money into a van from the BNZ on the corner of Great South Rd and Ronwood Ave. The gunman threatened the driver with a sawn-off shotgun before snatching six large money bags and escaping in the Subaru driven by an accomplice. Detective Sergeant Simon Irving, of Counties Manukau police, told the Herald the car would undergo forensic testing this morning. “It will be tested for fingerprints, swabs for DNA taken and photographed. Any objects found in it will also be examined.” Police hadn’t searched the car last night because the officers who recovered it were under instructions not to open it until the forensic tests could be carried out, Mr Irving said. Police were told where the car was by a resident of Ryan Place, which is semi-industrial but has some housing. Mr Irving said the robbery had been well planned and the van driver was taken by surprise. “It was out of the blue. The driver hadn’t seen anyone following him.” The Subaru had been stolen from a carpark in Papatoetoe 40 minutes before the robbery. The gunman was described as being of solid build and wearing a black …