Helena: Caller on the 'chaos' that took place at Sylvia Park

Chaos at Auckland's Sylvia Park Mall, with shopping trips interrupted by gun shots, and armed police swarming.

Witnesses describe hearing shots and seeing dozens of cop cars descend near the Kmart entrance. 

One person's described seeing a white Suzuki swift crash outside.

Witness Helena says she realised something was happening when Glassons was closed with lots of people inside. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:09):
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Speaker 2 (00:16):
Helena, I believe you've just been to Sylvia Park.

Speaker 3 (00:20):
Yes, I've just left.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
And what was the situation when you arrived? Was already
locked down when you when you tuned up?

Speaker 3 (00:28):
No, no, I was there for a few hours. I
was actually looking for an Elvit Brennan's at me event
tomorrow night, which I did not get because I had
to leave. But yeah, as I was leaving, I went
to actually just stop and a glasses to get my
daughter a sweater, and I'm like, there, it was all
closed up, but there was PEAPs of people in there now,
so I smelt a lady. I'm like, what's going on?

(00:52):
And then she's like there's a shooter. There's a shooter.
And I'm like, oh great, It's like can I come
in and and she's like no, like we can't open
it anymore. So I'm like, well, that's id be listening
to all these shops are just like closing up. And
I wouldn't say it was chaos, but certainly a few
worried faces around, like you just kind of don't expect

(01:14):
that sort of thing to happen in New Zealand, I suppose.
But then, yeah, so I didn't know whether this person's
like out around, like shooting or what. So I just
had to go out to the car park and then
But interestingly enough, I just heard on the radio before
that they said it was like a white Suzuki Swift
or something involved. But when I went to my car,

(01:36):
I was talking to my husband and I'm like, someone's
dinged my car and it's this white scrape mark over
the left hand side of my vehicle. So I'm not
sure if that has anything.

Speaker 2 (01:48):
To do with it, but potentially, I mean that is
you know, that's a double whammy for you, Helena, that
you've had your card damage, and whether it was part
of this incident or not or not. But as we're
viard from other witnesses, there was that white Suzuki Swift
that was being chased by the police. So did you
yourself hear any gunshots when you're in there?

Speaker 3 (02:09):
No, I didn't, actually, so I would have been always
up in sort of the country road end, and I
think it was up the other end. I had been
up that end. I started. Actually, I actually originally parked
my car up at Packins Eve and did some shopping
in there first and then moved my car to the
other side. But yes, I guess I was probably at

(02:30):
the better end when it happened. But but yeah, there's
a lot of police gers there.

Speaker 2 (02:36):
I'll tell you, terrifying experience to have to witness, Hilena.
And as you say, it's not something we expect here
in New Zealand, and I imagine the shop attendants and
other people in there would have been terrified as well.
So well, I'm sorry you couldn't get the bits and
pieces you needed for tomorrow night. I mean, hopefully you
get sorted before then.

Speaker 3 (02:56):
Yeah, that's the least to my worries.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Exactly, exactly. Well, hopefully we'll see you tomorrow night, Helena.
And thank you very much for giving us a bit
of a heads up on what happened inside Sylvia Park.
If you were at Sylvia yourself, Oh, eight hundred eighty
ten eighty what can you tell us?

Speaker 1 (03:12):
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