A 38 year old man is in custody and assisting Police with enquiries following a 19-hour armed negotiation at an address in Eastern Beach.
Police officers arrived just before 1pm on Monday afternoon to speak with the man following a domestic incident that occurred at the address in the weekend. As an approach was made to the house, the man refused to engage with Police.
Due to the fact that he was in possession of a firearm, the area around the Esplanade, Eastern Beach was safely cordoned and contained to ensure the safety of members of the public.
The Armed Offenders Squad and Police Negotiation Team were deployed to the area. The man was spoken to throughout the evening but a decision was made not to enter the address to assure his safety, and the safety of Police officers at the scene.
At around 8am this morning tear gas was deployed into the address and the man was safely apprehended. No shots were fired. Cordons around the scene were lifted as soon as it was deemed safe, which was around 8:30am this morning.
Any charges the man will face is yet to be decided.
Police would like to thank the East Auckland community for their patience while the scene was cordoned.
“The safety of members of the public is our priority when we attend any incident that involves firearms,” says Inspector Wendy Spiller, Area Commander Counties Manukau East. “We are very aware that having cordons in place for this type of incident can cause issues with commuter traffic, and having so many Police vehicles in the area can create some disturbances. We’re thankful for the support of the public during this time and very happy to have resolved the incident peacefully.”
ENDS
Issued by Kimberley Mathews/Communications Manager, Counties Manukau Police
021 192 0717