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LIVE: Locked down schools, armed police surround property; car hijacking nearby

Another crashed vehicle on Devonport's Domain Street. Photo / Supplied via NZME

Police say a person seen with a gun led to the precautionary lockdown of four North Shore schools this morning shortly after 10.47am.

A police cordon on the intersection of Bardia and Moa St was lifted at 2.15pm.

The schools came out of lockdown quickly as armed officers surrounded a house on Belmont's Moa Street, on Auckland's North Shore.

Inspector Stefan Sagar, Waitematā east area commander says the police searched the house and have since left the area. Inquiries are continuing and there is no immediate threat to the public. No arrests have been made, he says.

However, the police say a large number of crashed vehicles on Domain Street in Devonport were involved in a separate incident. Police arrested a man there after a car chase.

A witness told the New Zealand Herald an elderly woman's car was hijacked and numerous vehicles were damaged during a police chase in Devonport this morning

The chase ended in a bloodied man being Tasered and cuffed by police.

Inspector Todd Moore-Carter, Waitematā east area prevention manager, says they have one person in custody following an incident involving a stolen vehicle in Devonport this morning.

He says there are no reports of any injuries. Inquiries continue into the incident.

Brandon Boyle told the Herald he was on Church St at 9.45am when a man left Holy Trinity Church, got into a blue Toyota Corolla parked nearby and drove off - crashing it a few hundred metres away.

"Then he hijacked an old lady's Nissan Leaf - he threw her out of the car," said Boyle, 25.

The woman looked 60-70, he said. "He just took her out of the car."

The man drove away. Boyle and another bystander chased the car on foot, and alerted arriving police that the man had changed cars.

"We kept chasing and chasing until he crashed into about six cars on the left side of the main road. Then as he was crashing into that he swerved right into a fence."

Boyle said he had tried to yank open the front door, but a police officer came from the left and hopped into the passenger seat.

The driver zoomed off again, with the officer still in the car, but crashed into another car - which Boyle believed was due to the police officer yanking the steering wheel.

Inspector Todd Moore-Carter, Waitematā east area prevention manager, says they have one person in custody following an incident involving a stolen vehicle in Devonport this morning.

He says there are no reports of any injuries. Inquiries continue into the incident.

UPDATE 1:55 PM

Meanwhile, dozens of officers have had large assault rifles trained on the Domain St house since 12.30pm.

Negotiators are using a loud-hailer, demanding the occupants come to the door with nothing in their hands.

'It's freaky, it's terrible' a witness held up in her house told Te Ao Māori News.

Armed police on Belmont's Bardia Street. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

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Belmont Primary and Takapuna Grammar and Bayswater say the lockdown has been lifted and their students are safe.

Images on social media show a number of crashed vehicles on Domain Street in Devonport.

Police are still at the scene but are yet to provide additional information.

A car crashed on Domain Street in Devonport following a police incident. Photo / Lara Franks

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Four North Shore schools are in lockdown with Auckland police responding to an incident in the area.

Belmont Intermediate, Belmont Primary, Bayswater School and Takapuna Grammar School have all gone into lockdown on instruction from police and the Ministry of Education.

Armed police have blocked off Lake Rd, on which Takapuna Grammar is located, and also Bardia St, which is a nearby side street.

Bayswater School said it has gone into lockdown because of a police incident.

"Please do not come to the school or phone the school as you will not be attended to and this may cause disruption to the management of this incident and could potentially place yourselves and/or our staff and student's safety at risk." the school wrote on Facebook.

"We will update you when the lockdown has been completed. Thank you."

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