A resident on Jellicoe St in Ōtāhuhu said last night the police Eagle helicopter had been circling the area for two hours.
He said it was "really strange" and hadn't seen a police officer or car in the area either.
One Golf Ave resident said the police helicopter had been up flying for quite some time. There was a "paddy wagon" outside the neighbour's home with three police officers and the end of road was cordoned off by more police.
A worker at the Super Liquor on Savill Drive in Māngere East said a police officer came into the store earlier in the evening to see if they had seen anything out of the ordinary.
The worker said he didn't what is going on in the area and there was "pretty much nothing happening".
The arrested man is due to appear in Manukau District Court on Monday, October 29.