Two robbers threatened to take a two-month-old baby from a mother at a Whangārei dairy before fleeing with cash and cigarettes.
The male offenders, one wielding a weapon, busted into Rainbow Dairy at around 1pm on Tuesday, terrifying the owner and his family.
The 15-year-old and 16-year-old were wearing masks, and they demanded the owner's wife to hand over her baby according to NZME.
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The family were able to barricade themselves in the back room, before the offenders ripped out the till and fled with stolen cigarettes.
Northland Police detective Paul Overton said police are still investigating the incident but no kidnapping charges have been laid.
The youths have been charged with aggravated robbery and are due to appear in the Whangarei District Court on Wednesday.
"Several members of the public assisted police with valuable information and police would like to thank them for their help which resulted in the quick apprehension of both offenders," detective Overton said.
"There was some great work too by the Police Dog Unit, who quickly recovered several items of interest which had been discarded."
Newshub.