A man has been arrested over a terrifying late night robbery in which staff and patrons were ordered to the floor of a Christchurch bar at gunpoint.
Two masked gunmen jumped a back wall and entered the rear of Sideline Bar on Stanmore Rd in Richmond late on Wednesday night.
They yelled at the two female bar staff and four patrons to get onto the floor, and then forced a staff member to open the safe.
The offenders ran off with a unknown sum of money, leaving the bar staff and patrons shaken.
They were believed to have left the scene at speed in a white Subaru Impreza.
Police today said they had arrested a 24-year-old man in connection with the robbery on Friday night.
The man appeared in Christchurch District Court yesterday on a charge of aggravated robbery. He was remanded in custody until Tuesday.
Detective Senior Sergeant Tony Hill said police were still seeking public help to identify a second offender.
"Anyone who has seen a white coloured Subaru Impreza in the areas of Richmond, Shirley or Edgeware immediately after 11.30pm on Wednesday night is urged to contact police as soon as possible,'' Mr Hill said.
"We are also interested in hearing from retailers or members of the public who have seen anyone matching the descriptions of the offenders, and using large amounts of gold coins to make transactions.''
The offenders were both described as Maori or Pacific Island men in their mid-20s, about 1.8m tall and wearing dark clothing with their faces covered.
