A man has been arrested after firing steel BB gun pellets at police.
Police were called after a man was seen acting suspiciously around a residential property in Manukau Rd, Royal Oak, in Auckland.
Auckland City Police Inspector Gary Davey said police were called about 2.30pm today after a man was seen acting suspiciously around a residential property.
One of the officers needed medical treatment after getting a cut on his face during the struggle to arrest the man.
Davey said police went to the scene and two officers went to approach the man to ask him about what he was doing there while a third officer went to speak to neighbours.
As the officers approached him he suddenly pulled a gun from a backpack he was holding and started firing it at them.
The gun was later found to be a gas-powered, steel-pellet BB gun.
The third officer who was returning from speaking to the neighbour was struck with one of the steel pellets in the chest area.
Fortunately, his SRBA vest protected him from injury.
Another pellet struck the nearby Police car and shattered the left front-passenger window.
Another pellet struck another nearby car and dented it.
Police believe the offender fired at least six times.
The officers attempted to taser the man but it was ineffective.
The officers then used their pepper spray in an attempt to disarm the man.
The struggle continued and during this time two of the officers were caught in the residual spray.
The man was eventually disarmed and handcuffed by the officers
The man was searched at the scene and a large knife was found down the back of his pants. He also had a butterfly knife on him.
One of the officers was taken to get medical treatment for a cut to his face he sustained during the struggle, he has been treated and has since been released.
Davey praised the actions of the officers.
"I have watched the footage of this incident, which was captured on the taser cameras. Our officers have done an amazing job here to disarm a dangerous offender in the most serious of circumstances.
"In the space of a few moments this man has quickly pulled out a gun and shot at our staff. It is a testament to their courage that they have continued to struggle with him and disarm him.
"Despite being affected by the pepper spray, they have managed to subdue and disarm this man. This was on a footpath on a very busy area and they have acted with bravery to keep our community safe.
"It is sheer luck that none of our staff or any members of the public were seriously injured. This man has then been found to have had several knives on him.
"It is yet another example of what our staff are faced with every day and how quickly a situation can escalate. Only yesterday police said publicly that policing is a dangerous job - the pictures of the weapons this person was carrying hidden on his body say it all."
A 44 year-old man was taken into custody. He was currently being interviewed and would be charged later this evening with a range of serious offences.
The man will appear in the Auckland District Court tomorrow.
