Petone rifle attack on cops
Two police officers and the occupants of a car they were speaking with have narrowly escaped injury when a passing motorist fired a slug gun at them in Petone. They heard a shot and then something hitting the side of the car they had stopped as part of a boy racer operation in the Lower Hutt area last Thursday night. A small dent, consistent with a slug gun pellet, was found on the lower panel of the right rear passenger's door - about a metre from where one of the officers was standing. Police believe the shot was fired from a dark blue hatchback car with tinted windows as it drove west along The Esplanade. The attack came only a day after the funeral of Auckland police sergeant Don Wilkinson - shot dead with high caliber air rifle in Mangere. Senior Sergeant Mark Buttar of Lower Hutt police said it was very lucky that no-one was hurt. "Taking pot shots at police officers and members of the public from moving cars is extremely irresponsible," he said. "We don't know what the motivation was but we want to find the person responsible. "It was a foolhardy thing to do and gave everyone a bit of a fright." The incident happened about 12.20am as the two officers were speaking with the occupants of a car in an off road parking area in The Esplanade. The immediate scene was searched but the heavy rain, poor lighting and ground conditions - lots of sand, small stones and broken sea shells - have made it virtually impossible to find the pellet. People who can help with information about the incident are asked to contact Lower Hutt Police Station on 560 2600.
