Man ‘armed and dangerous’
A convicted meth dealer on the run from police allegedly pointed a gun at a woman’s head after she was kidnapped by two men and brought to his home.
Police believe Anaru Rangihuna, 43, probably has a handgun and consider him dangerous. The public is warned not to approach him.
It is not known where Rangihuna is hiding but he previously lived in Christchurch.
The wanted man is in breach of his parole conditions and a warrant is out for his arrest.
Detective Sergeant Chris Power said Rangihuna allegedly ‘‘violently assaulted’’ a woman and pointed a pistol at her head after she was kidnapped by two men and brought to his home in Norwich St, Linwood, on October 18.
The woman escaped by jumping out a window. She ran to Eastgate Mall where she struggled with Rangihuna in front of bystanders. Power said the incident was ‘‘high-end family harm’’.
The victim was recovering from her ordeal and ‘‘living in fear’’ of Rangihuna, he said.
Shane Hobbs and Christopher Neill Parkin have been charged with unlawfully detaining a woman in connection with the incident.
The pair allegedly brought the woman to Rangihuna’s home and witnessed the attack.
Police announced they were looking for Rangihuna on Thursday last week.
Power would not reveal details about the manhunt, but said ‘‘we’ll continue to make every effort to locate him’’.
In March 2010, Rangihuna set his dog on a man during an attack carried out by three people.
While on the run from police for the violent incident, he manufactured and dealt methamphetamine.
When Rangihuna was eventually found he barricaded himself inside a house and refused to surrender. Tear gas was fired into the property to flush him out. He was arrested after he was bitten by a police dog.
Rangihuna received a cumulative jail sentence of 11 years for the offending. He was released on parole in March 2015.