Man arrested following large police presence in central city

A man has been arrested following an incident in Christchurch’s central centre.

A police spokesperson said shortly after 11.30am, police arrested a man outside business premises on Moorhouse Avenue.

Multiple police vehicles including a police dog handler were called to the scene outside NPD petrol station.

Two witnesses told Chris Lynch Media it looked as if the man has a firearm, but this was not confirmed by police.

Another eyewitness said “he definitely had a firearm, we saw him running towards us with it! The (police) dog bit the man quite badly too. The police were pretty awesome, calm, and not too violent.”

However, the police spokesperson said a 28-year-old man is due to appear in Christchurch District Court facing charges “including driving while suspended and receiving property.”