Burglary spree ends in crash

Press, 26 July 1984, Page 6

Burglary spree ends in crash

PA Auckland A burglary spree followed by a “thrill race” in a stolen 15-tonne truck early yesterday has left a young Whangarei man fighting for his life in hospital The man, aged 20, had to be cut from the wreckage of the truck, while two of his young partners on the burglary “expedition” watched. The police said that the stolen vehicle was a writeoff after it had crashed into a power pole at Dairy Flat, 27km north of Auckland, during a race with a private car towards Whangarei. A second man, aged 24, was also rescued from the wreckage by firemen, and taken to Auckland Hospital with a suspected broken pelvis. The police said that four young people had arrived in

Auckland on Monday and burgled a dairy and supermarket that night. They also broke into five vehicles in the Auckland area and removed five car stereos. Detectives said the group had travelled to Auckland for a two-day “hit” on the city and were to slip back to Whangarei early yesterday. On Tuesday night a store was burgled by two of the gang in what was to be their last target. They made off with a $55,000 truck that had been parked with the keys in the ignition. The two men raced the truck north in what police described as a “thrill race” with a car carrying their two accomplices. The driver of the truck lost control about 12.40 a.m. and the vehicle careered off the road.