A man went on a rampage with a loaded crossbow and sparked an Armed Offenders Squad callout, police say.
The man threatened to kill an occupant at a Matauri Bay property and smashed windows there, they said.
The 56-year-old man allegedly was at the address in a drunken state on Wednesday night. He went out to a shed about 8pm and returned to the house with the loaded crossbow and threatened to kill one of two other men there, police said.
Those two ran off and called the police. The man then allegedly smashed windows in the house. He gave himself up when the armed unit arrived from Whangarei.
The accused will appear in the Kaikohe Court on February 17 charged with wilful damage, threatening to kill and possession of an offensive weapon.