SHOTS IN DARK

Dominion, Volume 24, Issue 287, 31 August 1931, Page 11

SHOTS IN DARK

Storekeeper Threatened PURSUIT AND ESCAPE Post Office Room Entered FOUR ARRESTS FOLLOW Dominion Special Service. Auckland, August 30. Three shots fired from a revolver were the climax of a sensational hold-up at Wiri in the early hours of yesterday morning following an attempt to break into the Wiri store and Post Office. After an all-day search four men were arrested by Detectives last night. The police also commandeered the motor-car which it is alleged the men used, and a revolver.

Awakened by the ringing of a burglar alarm, the storekeeper, Mr. R. W. Wilson, pursued three men across a paddock. They escaped in a waiting motorcar. One of the men checked pursuit by covering the storekeeper with a revolver, after a peremptory call of “hands up.” Then three shots rang out. The store and post office at Wiri are under the same roof. Mr. Wilson is the proprietor of the store, which has been visited by burglars on several previous occasions. The house in which Mr. Wilson and his family live is fifty yards away from the store. The Story he told was that at about 12.30 this morning he was awakened by the ringing of the burglar alarm which is fitted to the shop. He Called his son, and together they hurried to the store. On reaching the front gate Mr. Wilson saw three men running away from the store. AU three jumped over a fence and ran across a paddock. In the hope that he would head off the trio, both Mr. Wilson and his son ran down the roadway. About two chains on the Auckland side of the store they met a stationary five-seater motor-car. The man whom Wilson took to be one of the three fleeing men was holding up the driver of the car at the point of a revolver. Mr. Wilson stopped while his son went ahead of' - the car to inform a lorry driver who a few minutes before had been beckoned by Mr. lyilson tc stop. At the request of the younger Wilson the lorry driver went off to telephone the Auckland police. When the lorry had got on the move Mr. Wilson was immediately called upon to put his hands up by the man with the revolver. This man then ordered the driver, who was covered with the revolver, to get into the car. When Mr. Wilson attempted,to catch a glimpse of the number of the car he was again threatened by the man holding the revolver. As lie walked to look at the registration number the man holding the revolver fired three shots. The man with the weapon then got into the back seat of the car, which was driven off in the direction, of Auckland. An examination of the post office and store showed that two padlocks on the door leading to the postal part of the premises had been broken off and entry gained to the post office. A strange feature of the affair is that the man holding the revolver threatened the driver of the car, who soon after drove off 'with the man who had held the weapon. i The police theory is that this was a dummy hold-up hurriedly staged to mislead anyone in pursuit.