Flatmate dispute sparks armed standoff

File photo / Bay of Plenty Times

Loud explosions could be heard before police battered down the door of a Dunedin flat during an armed standoff today, a witness says.

Police were called to a domestic incident between flatmates at a house on Dundas St, near Logan Park, about 11am.

The armed offenders squad was called in about 1pm after police were told there were weapons at the house, Senior Sergeant Craig Brown of Dunedin police said.

Officers from Dunedin central and north police were also called in and the street was cordoned off at Clyde St, Forth St and Harbour Tce.

Police arrested a 19-year-old man on drugs charges and were considering whether other charges would be laid.

No shots were fired during the incident and the cordons were lifted shortly before 2pm.

Police were still at the house.

Otago University accounting student Werner Braasch said he was heading to his flat on Forth St when he was stopped at a police cordon about 1.20pm.

He said he could not see the flat about 50 metres away, but saw glimpses of armed officers and police dogs wandering up and down the street.

There were two loud explosions before police entered the house, he said.

"When they went in, we could hear the two flash bombs go off, and then you heard the ram knock down the door, and after that it was all quiet again," he told NZPA.

"I'm impressed with how loud a flash bomb is."

There were "quite a few" students who could not get to their flats, Mr Braasch said.

"We were standing on the corner and people were getting up high to see if they could see anything."

Ben Thomson, editor of the Otago University student magazine Critic, said rubberneckers had gathered at the cordons and there was talk that a person had been armed with a knife.

- NZPA