Pollard said the man tried to get money from the till, but was unsuccessful \u201cbecause when he hit it with the machete, he basically locked the whole system\u201d.<\/p>\n
The man took some spirits from the bar before fleeing.<\/p>\n
Police are investigating the incident. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe man has walked behind the counter and taken a number of items before leaving prior to police arrival,\u201d Acting Detective Inspector Megan Goldie, of Waitemat\u0101 CIB, told the Herald.<\/p>\n
Bricklane Restaurant & Bar has closed until further notice following an armed robbery. <\/p>\n
Pollard labelled the armed robbery as \u201cvery aggressive\u201d and a \u201chorrific and violent attack\u201d. <\/p>\n
He said the manager was uninjured but remains \u201cvery shaken\u201d after he was attacked by the offender \u201cwhile the machete was in his hand\u201d. <\/p>\n
A \u201cregular customer\u201d was present at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cReally my main concern was for the wellbeing of the staff,\u201d he said, adding that \u201cthree or four\u201d staff were involved in the incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis one was particularly aggressive and particularly violent. I\u2019ve got a lot of very badly affected people with this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Staff, and the customer involved, have been provided with counselling services.<\/p>\n
Pollard said this type of crime is \u201ccausing mayhem\u201d and becoming more prevalent, especially in Auckland.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s something I\u2019m seeing a lot more of throughout Auckland in particular. <\/p>\n
\u201cVerbal and physical abuse to our people from, let\u2019s face it, the less than 1% of bad people, is really impacting the business. And I know that myself and the directors are very, very concerned about this. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why we have so many systems and processes in place, but it\u2019s very difficult to manage against these opportunistic, aggressive criminals that seem to be around us at the moment … It\u2019s ridiculous. I\u2019m sick of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Trusts chief executive Allan Pollard. Photo \/ NZME<\/p>\n
Goldie requested people with any more information to come forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cA number of enquiries are underway to identify and locate the person responsible.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnyone with information that can assist the investigation can update police online now or call 105 using the file number 260720\/9677.<\/p>\n
\u201cInformation can also be provided anonymously via Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.\u201d<\/p>\n
Pollard said he expects the bar to remain closed for \u201ca couple of days\u201d.<\/p>\n