Wellington armed arrest in Kilbirnie: Man with toy gun taken into custody in front of multiple witnesses

A man holding a toy gun has been arrested by armed police in front of multiple witnesses in Wellington.

Police said they had taken a man into custody following reports of someone with a firearm at a supermarket in Kilbirnie.

“Police have located a toy gun,” police said.

The man, 36, has been charged with unlawfully carrying an imitation firearm and is due to appear in Wellington District Court on Monday, September 25.

A witness told the Herald five police officers “came out of nowhere” with tasers and guns aimed at the man, who then pulled a gun out of his waistband.

Officers got the gun off the man, placed it on a nearby bench and then arrested him, the witness said.

He said the incident happened outside the Kilbirnie Recreation Centre and police are still on the scene.