A man pictured pointing what appears to be a handgun on the grounds of Auckland’s Unitec this morning. Photo / Supplied Armed police have swooped on an Auckland polytechnic campus this morning after a man was spotted armed with what terrified bystanders believed was a handgun.
A police spokesperson said at 8.15am they received a report of a man seen walking on Carrington Rd in Mt Albert holding what appeared to be a firearm.
A bystander captured the frightening moment the man raised his outstretched arm to eye level, appearing to aim the gun inside Gate 1 of Unitec.
The spokesperson said police immediately responded and found the man.
He was taken into custody without incident.
However, police said what was thought to be a lethal weapon from a distance turned out to be a replica.
“The male was found to be in possession of a toy gun,” the spokesperson said.
A Unitec spokesperson said the campus security team was made aware of the incident after the police had apprehended the person.