A young boy waiting for his father was forced out of a car by an alleged thief outside a central Auckland supermarket last night.
Police were called to Williamson Ave in Ponsonby at around 6.15pm on Wednesday.
Senior Sergeant Dave Plunkett said the driver of an SUV had left his son in the car as he went inside the supermarket.
"An unknown male has approached the vehicle, yelling at the young boy to get out of the car, before he proceeded to get in and drive away."
Plunkett said the SUV was driven off at high speed, with the Eagle helicopter locating the vehicle abandoned nearby on Commercial Rd in Arch Hill a short time later.
He added that police then began to receive calls about a man jumping fences in the area.
"Inquiries on the ground provided police with information on a person of interest and our search continued."
A police camera operator monitoring CCTV later spotted the man walking on Karangahape Rd and he was subsequently arrested.
Plunkett said officers recovered a concealed knife and an imitation firearm.
"I would like to acknowledge all our staff’s exceptional response to this incident last night, which would have been incredibly startling for the young boy."
The 31-year-old man will appear in the Auckland District Court today.
He has been charged with unlawfully carrying an imitation firearm, possessing an offensive weapon, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and resisting police.
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