Youth takes tobacco in armed robbery

A youth with a pistol grabbed a woman by the throat in a Coromandel shop before making off with packets of tobacco, police said today.

The woman, who was behind the counter at the Boomerang Store in Te Puru, north of Thames on Saturday morning, was shaken by the incident, police said.

The offender, described as a male caucasian teenager, entered the shop alone at 6.48am with a pistol-type firearm.

Detective Constable Andre Kavanagh said the offender pointed the pistol at woman as he walked around behind the counter.

He grabbed her throat and pushed her into a freezer as he walked to the tobacco display.

The woman, who was not injured, was able to run out of the store to raise the alarm as the youth put a number of tobacco packets into a satchel and left on foot.

Mr Kavanagh said the offender was wearing a dark blue or black hooded sweatshirt with "AB" in white writing on front.

A light-coloured item covered lower the half of his face.

He also had on black shorts and black "Chuck Taylor" shoes with long black socks and was carrying a blue-and-black satchel-type bag with red padding on the shoulder strap.