A wanted man who allegedly fled to New Zealand before telling police “catch me if you can” has been extradited to Australia and will front court accused of a violent robbery while armed with a meat cleaver almost nine years ago.
Detectives successfully extradited Leroy Tawanda Tsuro, 26, back to WA from Auckland on Thursday night after an ongoing game of cat and mouse sparked when two McDonald’s workers were allegedly threatened at a takeaway store on September 5, 2016.
The accused was allegedly armed with a large meat cleaver when he stormed the eatery on Walter Rd East in Morley, in Perth’s northern suburbs, just before midnight and demanded money.
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“During the armed robbery, the staff received lacerations allegedly from the meat cleaver, which required medical treatment,” WA Police said on Friday.
After the workers handed over a sum of cash, Tsuro allegedly took off in a Honda CRV.
Another man was charged over the incident at the time.
“One of the men grabbed the female staff member … and held the meat cleaver to her throat while banging on the till to get her to open it,” Detective Constable Ian Slivkoff alleged, reported The West Australian at the time.
“Both workers were injured … (the injuries) were only minor but it was a traumatic experience for both of them.
“It was quite brazen and violent.”
Leroy Tawanda Tsuro has been extradited to WA from New Zealand. Credit: WA Police Detectives spoke to Tsuro, then 18-years-old, but he boarded a flight to New Zealand a day later, police say.
He continued to taunt investigating detectives, phoning them from New Zealand, saying, ‘”catch me if you can”, WA Police allege.
Radio New Zealand reported in April that Tsuro had fought extradition, pointing to his age — he had only just turned 18 — and time since the alleged offending occurred.
Now in WA, Tsuro will front Perth Magistrates Court on Friday charged with armed robbery.