A Bay of Plenty hotel has been held up at gunpoint just before closing time with an armed man threatening drinkers and making off with the night’s takings.
Eastern Bay of Plenty police said bargoers in the Edgecumbe Plains Hotel have been left shaken after an armed robber burst in between 11pm and midnight and threatened two staff and two drinkers with a sawn-off shotgun.
Police investigating the robbery said the man, his identity disguised by a hoodie and sunglasses, ran off with a quantity of cash before fleeing in a light-coloured 4WD vehicle between the College Rd and Main St area.
He was described by witnesses as a male Maori of medium height and athletic build.
The same vehicle had been spotted around the Edgecumbe central business district half an hour before the robbery took place.
Police said the victims were not physically harmed by the incident.
