Neighbours heard gunshots, ‘commotion’ in Auckland kidnapping

Police are hunting for a trio after a late-night kidnapping in Auckland, while the victim’s caregiver says the woman was dragged out of bed during the incident.

Neighbours have described hearing gunshots and a commotion as police look for three people over a woman’s kidnapping on Auckland’s North Shore.

Three locations on Auckland’s North Shore were under police cordon overnight after a woman was forced into a car.

Police said they were called to Beach Haven at 7.30pm, after three people arrived at a home on Sunnyhaven Ave.

The victim was living with a caregiver, who told Stuff two men and a woman barged into the house.

They ran into the woman’s room and “dragged her out” from her sleep, she said.

The man who had a shotgun was obsessed with the victim, the caregiver told Stuff, despite never being romantically involved.

The caregiver said as a result of the incident, the woman had suffered an eye injury, a broken foot, a spine fracture, and lacerations.

Detective Inspector Callum McNeill said the victim was forced into a car during an ‘altercation’.

“As this has unfolded the firearm has been discharged.”

Despite more officers being called out and the use of the Eagle helicopter, the vehicle was not located. But police were soon called to Mackay Drive in Greenhithe, where they found the woman from the Beach Haven address.

“She has sustained injuries and is in a stable condition, receiving treatment,” McNeill said, noting they were not gunshot injuries.

She was being treated at North Shore Hospital.

No arrests had yet been made.

“We’re making inquiries at this stage. There’s still a lot of enquiry work that needs to take place in order to locate people that we need to speak to.”

Two armed police were still stationed outside the Beach Haven property, on the corner of Sunnyhaven Ave and Drome View Place, on Wednesday morning

Three locals RNZ spoke to in Beach Haven on Wednesday morning said they heard the helicopter hovering in the area overnight. Some people reported on a local Facebook page of hearing gunshots and “a commotion”.

Neighbour Martin, who did not want to give his last name, had lived in Beach Haven for 40 years. He said he first heard a helicopter flying above the street on Tuesday night.

“I got a phone call from my son, who was trying to get home – he was telling me there was a bit of a confrontation at the corner there and they’d blocked off the roads and he wasn’t able to get back. He was sitting in the roadblock… waiting to come home.”

Martin said he walked past the property every day and had never seen any problems before.

All cordons in both Greenhithe and Beach Haven were lifted by dawn on Wednesday, though police remained in the area.

Anyone with information could call police on 105 or use the online form, and cite file number 240402/3715.