Still on the run

 

Armed fugitive, Joshua Mason Kite is still on the run despite Police attempts to locate the 33 year old Whangarei man.

Detective Inspector Kevin Burke says Police are throwing everything at trying to locate Kite who is being treated as armed and dangerous. “We do know Mr Kite has extensive links across the North Island and we believe he may be trying to use those contacts to help him evade Police. “At this stage we are continuing to focus on the Northland and greater Auckland areas and want to advise anyone who may be helping Mr Kite that assisting someone to evade Police is a crime in itself,” Burke says.

On August 28 a large Police presence barricaded the Kaiwaka-Mangawhai entrance to Brown Road, Hakaru for four hours while a property of known associates of Kite was searched and the occupants questioned. Police were also seen talking with two men in an unmarked police car.

“Acting on given information police checked the address of interest and cleared it as Kite wasn’t there,” Mangwhai Senior Constable Graham Gough says.

A police helicopter circled the surrounding lands of Brown and Tara Roads for several hours. Police dogs, Kaiwaka’s Volunteer Fire Brigade and St John ambulance were also present at the blockade.

Around 6.30pm a number of loud bangs were reportedly heard echoing out from the cordoned-off country road, which was most likely to be tear gas Gough says.

The Police action follows several events and a trail of abandoned stolen cars that began in the early hours of August 26. After Whangarei Police attempted to pull his vehicle over, Kite gave a short pursuit but crashed minutes later. He then fired a shot at the two unarmed Police officers before fleeing the scene in the unmarked Police car, ditching the vehicle in Raumanga Valley before signaling down and hijacking another car, leaving the two occupants on the side of the road. Kite was next seen by Police on Highway 12, Maungaturoto, who cordoned off an area after finding the abandoned vehicle on Bickerstaffe Road.

“We want to thank the community for their ongoing support and information provided to us in relation to the search for Joshua Kite,” Burke says. “While we are advising people in Northland to go about their daily business as usual, we are still asking that anyone who sees someone behaving suspiciously or fitting Mr Kite’s description, to contact Police on 111 immediately or anonymously to 0800 555 111.”

While the investigation continues, frontline officers in Northland and the Greater Auckland area will carry firearms as a safety precaution.

The two Whangarei officers who first encountered Kite, are receiving support from their colleagues and are now back at work.

Photos:
1& 2: Police barricade the entrance to Brown Road, Hakaru as the search for Joshua Kite continues.

In the background police are escorting a young man from the white car into the police wagon possibly for further questioning. Julia heard them say to him “We don’t think you’re telling us the truth,” so the wanted man appears to have some local connections.

- Reporting Julia Wade

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