Officers on the hunt in Napier after a police pursuit yesterday.
A man is being hunted by police after cutting off his electronic bail bracelet and brandishing a pistol in Hawke's Bay on Thursday.
Police are looking for Ihaka Paul after he made several threats and pointed a pistol at family members at a house in Townshend St, Hastings at about 6.20pm.
The 26-year-old was already wanted by police for cutting off his electronic bail bracelet and there is a warrant for his arrest.
The Hawke's Bay armed offenders squad searched five houses in Napier and Hastings.
Mr Paul is described by police as a male Maori, about 1.7m tall.
Police are urging anyone who has seen Mr Paul, or if someone knows where he is, to ring 111 immediately.
• Last night police pursued a fleeing driver on Kennedy Rd, Napier — at first thought to be linked to the search for Mr Paul.
The pursuit was abandoned after the fleeing car was seen driving on the wrong side of the road along Kennedy Rd.
The vehicle was subsequently spotted near Westshore and later up Napier Hill. The large-scale callout saw road spikes laid and cordons set up at various streets on the hill, but neither the vehicle nor its occupants were found.
A young mother of a 4-year-old on Burns Rd, where spikes were set up, said it was unnerving seeing armed officers in her street.
"I was just about to head out to dinner and I saw the cops wandering around with guns," she said.
"It's quite scary, I'll be keeping my daughter inside."
She said she had lived on the street for more than two years and had never experienced that level of police presence.
Officers were stood down from all cordons on Napier Hill at about 8pm.