Two members of the public had a gun held to their heads as a person of interest to police tried to escape officers.
Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers said a BMW was stolen from a Church St, Penrose, business about 10.45am today.
The alleged offender, a man, was tracked by the police Eagle helicopter, his "driving poor and very dangerous".
He crashed the BMW at the intersection of Main Hwy and Great South Rd and stole a vehicle from a member of the public.
The man allegedly held a gun to the person's head as he did so. Police did fire a shot at the man, but he managed to escape in the second stolen vehicle, with police in pursuit.
Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers told reporters the man is in a stable condition. (Source: Other)
Chambers said the member of the public was injured during the man's escape, with the vehicle rolling forward onto one of their feet.
The man later crashed at the intersection of Great South Rd and South Eastern Highway and held the gun to another member of the public's head as he tried to escape for a second time.
The man was shot by police and the member of the public managed to get away.
He was taken to hospital, where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
This morning in the Auckland suburb of Penrose a man allegedly pointed a gun at two separate drivers before being shot by police. (Source: Other)
"My staff have done a remarkable job today and I acknowledge the courage they showed in moving forward in what was a volatile, high-risk, life-threatening situation."
Earlier today, St John Ambulance said two people were injured.
One person with serious injuries was taken to Auckland Hospital and one person with moderate injuries was taken to Middlemore.
Assistant Commissioner Richard Chambers praised officers for their courage in both Auckland and Hamilton despite the circumstances. (Source: Other)
A witness told 1 NEWS the police are armed with pistols and there was a "gun fight".
Nenad Novakov, manager at Youth Garage car dealers, told 1 NEWS a BMW was stolen from the premises.
Novakov said a man stole the keys from the office and almost knocked down an employee who attempted to stop him.
The employee is a little shaken, but was not injured.
Novakov suspects the man may have had an accomplice, a woman, who was checking out the store before he arrived.
1 NEWS’ Emily van Velthooven reports from the scene in Ellerslie. (Source: Other)
The incidents caused widespread traffic delays.
This incident comes after police fatally shot a man in a separate incident in Hamilton overnight.
Police Association president Chris Cahill told 1 NEWS the recent spate of shootings highlighted how commonplace this risky part of policing was becoming.
He said the "seriousness" of the recent incidents — an officer being shot in the arm and shoulder in Hamilton on Saturday, police fatally shooting a man in Hamilton overnight and the apparent shooting in Penrose today — stood out.
"This problem is here and now. We’ve talked for years about how it’s a growing problem. I think this week highlights it’s here and now."
Cahill said there needed to be a strong conversation about how officers are delpoyed, which included double crewing and having more expert officers in firearms on the frontline.
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