Armed standoff in Coromandel, gun fight reported in Kennedy Bay
Witness says police in the Coromandel knew that tensions between rival gangs in the area were rising, ahead of today's armed standoff.
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A Kennedy Bay resident said there was an armed standoff in the Kennedy Bay area, and the roads had been locked down.
The man, who did not want to be named, said he had heard there were four men ranging in age from their 20s to 40s were taking "pot shots" at each other.
"I've seen two Westpac helicopters flying over the area, and it looks like police have called the armed offenders squad in to help, too."
Senior Sergeant Andrew O'Reilly said police had searched a number of addresses, but no firearms were located.
Police were called to the scene around 11:30am, he said, and had called for the assistence of the armed offenders squad soon after.
They had not found anyone who had been injured, and enquiries were ongoing on Monday evening.
A man visiting Kennedy Bay on holiday said the shooting incident was related to gang activity in the area, which had been ongoing "for a week or so".
A conflict had arisen between two gang groups, he said, over territory and drug dealing.
"Then yesterday, one drug dealer stole another drug dealer's car."
The holidaymaker, who did not want to be named, said he thought the Rebels Motorcycle Club and the Mongrel Mob Gangs had been involved.
Police were made aware of the conflict, he said, but had wanted to leave it to the locals to sort out.
"I guess they have, in a way."
The man said Kennedy Bay was usually a "nice, peaceful place".
The resident said people were being kept safe at the Harataunga Marae, where a number of people had stayed over the long weekend.
A witness in the area said police had made arrests and that one of the those arrested is a gang member.
Another woman said she had heard that police had three offenders at the marae but a fourth man was on the loose.
"All we've been told is there's another local man running around with a gun apparently, or he might be hiding."
She had heard from someone in Thames that about 10 police cars had been seen heading north earlier today.
Another woman said she could see police talking to about half a dozen local young men next to a fence at the marae.
She had not heard any shots, but she had been mowing the lawn so that was not surprising.
"It was about lunchtime when I saw all the cop cars coming in and helicopters flying around over the top of us."
Several roads had been cordoned off in the area, he said.
A staff member at Harataunga Marae told Radio New Zealand "at least two people carrying guns discharged their weapons".
They said shots were heard about midday and he had locked the marae gates until the situation was over. He said 30 people were at the marae, including 15 children.
A Kennedy Bay Rd resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said she was not surprised there had been a stand off.
"Living over here you get to know what's what," she said.
"It's not a bad place, but every place has their bad eggs."
Considering it had been a long weekend, she said there were a lot of people from out of town in the area.
A resident who didn't want to be identified said: "I don't know anything. Two families are fighting. I just want to stay out of it."
Oamaru Bay Tourist Park manager Ana Cooper said she had seen a police car speeding in the direction of the marae, just down the road from the park.
It seemed to be headed up the Koputuaki Hills, she said.
Kennedy Bay Rd resident Peggy Harrison said three police officers and a sniffer dog were at the bottom of their property.
She didn't know what was happening but considering there was bush and pines around her property she said she was scared.
"It feels a bit scary, I don't really know the full story," she said.
Cordons were in place on Kennedy Bay Rd and her daughter and her husband couldn't get to the house.
She said she saw ambulance, fire services, police and what looked like the Westpac helicopter in the area.
A spokesman for Westpac Rescue Helicopter said a helicopter was on the ground at Kennedy Bay.
It was used solely to transport AOS crew from Hamilton to the scene and not for any injuries, he said. He was unsure if there had been any injuries.
A spokesperson for St Johns ambulance said they had been called to the scene but would not release any information.
"What I can tell you is that we were called to an incident in Kennedy Bay but no other information is available," she said.
She would not confirm if there had been any injuries.
A police northern communications spokesman said the situation at Kennedy Bay was ongoing, but police activity in the area was winding down.
He would not confirm whether any arrests had been made in relation to the gun activity.
A man at Harataunga marae said police had turned up shortly before lunchtime and said shots had been fired around the valley.
"We've been at the marae here all weekend with a heap of kids. We were about to leave and we just got locked down," he said.
The police were armed to the teeth but he had not seen anyone else with guns and nor had he heard any shots.
The only time police were on the marae had been when the Westpac helicopter landed there. Police had set up a roadblock close by.
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