A pursuit after a shot was fired at a car has led to three arrests and the seizure of a shotgun, Auckland police say.
About 8:40pm on Thursday there was an "altercation" between two groups outside a restaurant on Mt Wellington's Lunn Avenue, police said in a statement. The people involved in the disagreement then got into two separate vehicles.
People from one vehicle then "allegedly discharged a firearm towards the other vehicle", Detective Inspector Glenn Baldwin said.
"Both vehicles fled immediately after, however our staff were in the area, and signalled one to stop.
"The other vehicle has continued on towards Mount Wellington and was tracked by the Police helicopter, heading towards Māngere."
That police helicopter crew tracked the vehicle pulling into a property at Māngere Bridge, before the occupants ran through more properties, and got into another vehicle, Baldwin said.
The driver then carried on to the South-Western motorway, and refused to stop for police trying to pull it over on Puhinui Road, he said: "A pursuit ensued towards a Burundi Avenue address where two people were arrested, both with gang links."
A sawn-off shotgun was found in the vehicle, Baldwin said, and "while officers were at the scene, another vehicle drove through police cordons and failed to stop when signalled, so that driver was also arrested."
Baldwin said the driver from that car was the partner of one of the arrested men.
A 30-year-old man was charged with unlawful possession of a firearm, failing to stop, and intent to cause grievous bodily harm with a firearm, and was scheduled to appear in Auckland District Court on Friday.
Baldwin said another firearms incident that happened after the Mt Wellington one, in Counties Manukau district, is not believed to be connected.
"We are keeping an open mind at this very early stage," he said.
"We know incidents like this are distressing for the wider community, so these swift arrests by our diligent staff are really pleasing and significant to ongoing public safety."
Officers were continuing to investigate the Mt Wellington incident, and Baldwin said they had not ruled out further arrests.
ISSUE
