KEY POINTS:
Two people have died and a man is in custody after an armed stand-off at an inner-city apartment block in downtown Auckland this afternoon.
Detective senior sergeant Simon Scott said the man was armed with a large knife and was talked down from the apartment balcony after four hours.
Police negotiators spent nearly 2 and-a-half hours talking to the man, who was threatening to harm himself.
The 27 year-old Iraqi national was bundled into the back of an unmarked police car about 1.45pm.
Once in the car he leant forward and put his head between his knees. His face was covered by a piece of clothing.
Mr Scott said the area will remain cordoned off while a scene investigation takes place.
"We now face the task of formally identifying the bodies of the deceased and investigating how and why they died where they did," Mr Scott said.
Inspector Mark Hall, who is in charge of the armed offenders squad, said the stand-off was "resolved without force".
Earlier, inspector Ian Brooker said armed police were called to the Vogel Lane apartment shortly after 10am.
Ambulance officers confirmed the two deaths, possibly from knife wounds, after they were escorted into the apartment by armed police, reported NZPA.
A resident of a neighbouring apartment block told nzherald.co.nz he was outside having a cigarette this morning when he saw a swat team from the armed offenders squad storm the Alpha Apartments building.
Other residents of the apartment block where the man was holed up were escorted out of the building by police.
Rochelle Whitehouse and Phyllip Opetaia are staying in a neighbouring apartment block and told nzherald.co.nz they were alerted to the drama unfolding outside their window only when they heard loud sirens.
Ms Whitehouse said at one point she counted 22 police cars in the streets below.
St John Ambulance team manager Keith Hall told NZPA that the ambulance officers were not placed in danger and the police knew where the man with the knife was.
"We went in with the police, we didn't go in alone. The police were our informants. They called us from the scene.
"They wouldn't have taken us anywhere where it would have put our guys in danger. They knew where he was at that stage," Mr Hall said.
