An armed man at the centre of a stand-off with police at an Auckland bank has been taken into custody.
Dozens of officers, some armed, surrounded the Westpac bank on Great South Road in the suburb of Penrose on Monday night where the man had been threatening to harm himself.
There was a heavy police presence outside the bank in Penrose. Photo: RNZ
The 41-year-old entered the bank in a wheelchair about 4.30pm with what police say was a pistol and remained there for five-and-a-half hours.
He allowed nine Westpac staff to leave unharmed about 6pm. Police later escorted daycare centre staff and about 10 children from the building.
No shots were fired throughout the incident, which was eventually resolved by direct negotiation between police and the man.
The man's mental health is being assessed. He will appear in the Auckland District Court on Tuesday where he is likely to be charged with firearms offences.
