A man was allegedly holding a loaded crossbow when police officers arrived at the scene of a crash in Palmerston North, where a range of weapons were found.
Emergency services were sent to the corner of Bourke St and Walding St at around 1.40am on Saturday, after police received a call that had been generated from an automatic crash alert — a feature on many newer smartphones.
A single "hello" was heard before the call disconnected and attempts to call the person back went unanswered, according to police.
Manawatū Acting Area Commander Inspector Phil Ward said officers arrived to then find a vehicle had crashed into the side of a commercial building on Bourke St.
“The man who had reportedly been driving was standing next to the vehicle, uninjured, reportedly holding a crossbow that was loaded and ready to fire," Ward said.
"However, he dropped this immediately when challenged by officers."
The man was taken into custody, and police searched the vehicle and surrounding area, discovering he had allegedly been attempting to hide weapons in nearby bushes.
"Police located and seized a stolen .22 rifle, an air rifle, four samurai swords in sheaths, a machete, a crossbow and arrows, a large hunting knife, and a large amount of ammunition," Ward said.
A 22-year-old man is due in the Palmerston North District Court on June 18.
He faces charges including driving with excess breath alcohol, careless driving, unlawfully possessing a firearm, possession of offensive weapons and possession of a knife in public.
Ward praised both attending officers and emergency staff for their swift response to the automatic crash alert.
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