A teen who pulled the trigger five times in a daylight gang shooting at Rotorua’s Westend intersection has been on the run nearly three months after cutting off his electronically-monitored ankle bracelet.

The teen, who has interim name suppression, was supposed to be sentenced in the Rotorua District Court on September 6 but removed his bracelet about a week before.

He was also to be sentenced on a raft of charges relating to stealing and breaking into cars and doing wheelies around Rotorua on trail bikes.

The Rotorua Daily Post has learned the court granted him electronically-monitored bail in December last year, despite the Department of Corrections advising against it.

The teen shooter was in a car with his then-Black Power associate, Himiona Buffett, when they pulled in behind two utes containing Mongrel Mob members on Malfroy Rd at the intersection with Old Taupō Rd about 12.30pm on September 19 last year.

Himiona Buffett in the Rotorua District Court for sentencing. Photo / Kelly Makiha

The teen covered his face, leaned out the passenger window and fired five shots at the rival gang utes.

One bullet shattered a ute’s rear window and another travelled through the open window of an uninvolved car waiting at the traffic lights, lodging in the interior lining. No one was hurt.

The teen admitted charges in March relating to the shooting – unlawfully carrying a firearm and unlawfully discharging a firearm, as well as 13 other dishonesty and traffic-related charges.

Buffett, who was the driver of the car, successfully argued to Judge Joanne Wickcliffe he had changed since the shooting. He had distanced himself from the Black Power gang and was involved in a programme that worked with gang members who had turned their lives around.

He was sentenced to nine months of community detention and six months’ supervision.

Corrections found teen ‘unsuitable’ for bail

A Department of Corrections spokesperson said in response to Rotorua Daily Post questions the teen was granted electronically-monitored bail by the court in December 2023 but removed his bracelet and left his bail address in the early hours of August 29.

Corrections assessed the teen as “unsuitable” for electronic monitoring and told the court of that when he applied for bail.

The spokesperson said the teen removing the device triggered an alert that immediately notified Corrections.

Staff were investigating in-person when informed by police a family member had reported he had cut his tracker off and left.

The teen’s lawyer, Casey Treanor, told the judge in explanation on the day he was to be sentenced that the teen had become “very fearful of the outcome”.

A police spokesperson confirmed to the Rotorua Daily Post the teen was still wanted by police and inquiries were ongoing.

How electronically-monitored bail works

Electronically monitored bail is a shared service with police and requires a person to remain at an approved address and be remotely GPS monitored by Corrections at all times.

A Corrections spokesperson said Corrections carried out assessments for the court about a person’s suitability and the technical feasibility of their address. A judge in court decides whether such bail will be granted.

If it is, Corrections carries out the electronic monitoring and police respond to any non-compliance.

Police also undertake enforcement action and manage all other bail conditions.

The teen’s other offending

A summary of facts released to the Rotorua Daily Post earlier detailed how the teen was breaking into cars in the months leading up to the Westend shooting.

The teen admitted five counts of unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle, three counts of attempting to unlawfully take a motor vehicle and one count each of possession of instruments for breaking into motor vehicles, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and unlawfully being in an enclosed yard.

Rotorua security camera operators spotted the teen stealing a Toyota car in April last year. The car was dumped behind a property in Fordlands and police arrested the teen a short time later. He had a large flathead screwdriver in his sock and a headlamp in his pocket.

A couple of weeks later, the teen entered Rydges Hotel on the corner of Tryon and Froude Sts in a stolen Mazda Demio. He smashed the quarter-light window of a Mazda Atenza, got in and broke the ignition barrel. The summary said when he could not start the car, he tried the same process on a Toyota Aqua but was disturbed by police and ran off.

At the scene, police discovered another Toyota Aqua had also been broken into. About 30 minutes later, the teen returned to that car and tried to start it.

Hotel staff saw him but the teen ran off and climbed a fire escape to a roof, where he hid until police arrested him.

The teen was linked to another stolen car through saliva in a can of drink left inside. The Toyota Aqua was broken into and taken from Rotorua Hospital that same month and later recovered.

The teen also admitted two counts of driving dangerously in May last year. The summary said he was seen riding on Old Taupō Rd without a helmet and with “complete disregard to road rules and other road users”.

Later that day, he rode helmetless on an unregistered bike through Rotorua’s central city doing “wheelies” while standing on the seat, weaving in and out of traffic.

Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.

-Rotorua Daily Post.