UPDATE: NZ Police Incident In Avalon, Lower Hutt

Police have taken a man into custody following an extended incident at an address on High Street, Avalon today.

Police cordoned off the area following a report of a man in possession of a firearm at an address with three other occupants at around 9:30am.

The other three occupants were able to come free of the address unharmed around 10:30am and the Armed Offenders Squad and The Police Negotiation Team remained engaged with the man over the course of the day.

Just before 8pm, Police entered the address and the man was taken into custody.

“We would like to thank the community for bearing with us today while we worked to resolve a situation that could have had a very different outcome,” says Inspector Nick Thom.

“Thanks to your support, we were able to respond with the patience required to resolve this incident safely.

“Police recognise how unsettling this has been – particularly for the younger members of our community and their parents when schools went into lockdown. Local Police staff will be out in the community in the next days offering reassurance to those affected.”

High Street will reopen shortly as Police finish at the scene.

The 25-year-old man is due to appear in Hutt Valley District Court on 28 February facing charges in relation to the incident.

/NZ Police Public Release. View in full here.