Cordons lifted in Palmerston North as armed police fail to find man on the run

A photo on social media shows armed police crouched down behind a car.
A photo on social media shows armed police crouched down behind a car. Photo credit: Natelle Smith

Armed police have failed to locate a person who didn't stop at a stop sign near Palmerston North.

A police spokesperson told Newshub police began pursuing a driver after he failed to stop at around 9:50am in Takaro.

Several roads in the area were cordoned off as armed police tried to find the vehicle and driver, but police did not find them. 

The cordons have been lifted.

Photographs on social media show an officer crouched behind a vehicle, aiming a gun.

Several people on local Facebook groups claimed they had seen a person with a handgun "jumping fences" and that Seddon St and Manchester St were cordoned off with a heavy police presence. 

Police would not confirm if the incident was linked to an earlier one where a man allegedly pointed a gun at them.

The earlier incident occurred in nearby Feilding on Sunday, where a man allegedly hijacked a car at gunpoint and then pointed the firearm at police. 

He is still at large.