Gang chant rings out in court as Napier standoff suspect led into custody

At least four schools were in lockdown on the afternoon of June 24.

The man at the centre of an over 11-hour standoff in Napier last night has appeared in the Hastings District Court.

The 25-year-old, who cannot be named due to being granted interim name supprssion, was arrested and charged with unlawful possession of a firearm and discharging a firearm in relation to the saga at an address on Alexander Avenue in the suburb of Onekawa.

Gang chants were made by a member of the public in the gallery as the man was led out of the dock and into custody.

Armed police swarmed on the suburb around 2.30pm yesterday afternoon, sending schools into lockdown and cordoning off streets. Police tightened the cordon throughout the afternoon, releasing pupils from the nearby schools, as they focused in on a Housing New Zealand property.

Residents in the area were told to stay in their homes and residents who were outside the cordon were told to find other places to stay for the night.

Jo Amos spoke to 1 NEWS about her mother living next door to the home where the incident unfolded.

AOS staff, police negotiators and a special tactics unit were helicoptered in from Levin as police tried to coax the man out of the house.

Street lights were turned off as night fell and it wasn’t until 2am that police say the man surrendered “without incident”. No one was harmed.

Cordons were lifted shortly after and residents were allowed to return to their homes.

The man was remanded in custody without a plea and will reappear again in the Napier District Court next month.

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