KEY POINTS:
A 14-year-old boy sparked a major armed offenders squad callout in Tauranga yesterday after allegedly pointing an imitation pistol at a group of primary school children.
Police rushed to Selwyn Ridge School in Welcome Bay about 12.30pm after receiving a report that a male with a gun had approached the school grounds and pointed the weapon at three children.
The youngsters had been among a group playing on the sports field at lunchtime when the boy allegedly approached a boundary fence and pointed the imitation pistol at them.
He then walked away, but the children reported the incident to a teacher and police were alerted.
Armed officers rushed to the area and cordoned off streets surrounding the school.
Children were kept inside the grounds until after 3pm, creating anxiety among parents arriving to pick them up.
The parents gathered in the carpark of the Welcome Bay Tennis Club and were told they could not enter the school.
"There was a real atmosphere of rising, palpable panic," a witness said.
Police were forced to make an announcement to calm nerves.
Last night they were speaking to a 14-year-old after searching a property near the school. They said he had an imitation pistol in his possession.
