Police hunt crossbow man after escape

File photo / Martin Sykes

Police are again hunting a man arrested for brandishing a crossbow after he escaped from a mental health unit in the West Coast town of Greymouth this morning.

The 53-year-old man was arrested last Friday after he allegedly made threats to fellow farm workers at a property in Whataroa, 114km southwest of Hokitika.

The farm workers told police the man had a sword and a crossbow, sparking an armed offenders squad search.

The man was in a mental health unit at Grey Base Hospital but left this morning, Senior Constable Mike Tinnelly of Greymouth police said.

"He walked past one of the staff there and he walked out, so we are looking for him just to help get him back," he told NZPA.

Police were unsure where he had gone, but did not believe he was a danger to himself or the public.

He was wearing blue jeans and a maroon jersey.

Police last week found two large knives and a crossbow in the man's vehicle.

They said at the time they would seek a mental health assessment through the courts.

- NZPA