An unarmed police officer managed to negotiate the surrender of an armed man in Nelson this afternoon.
At 2.00pm today a member of the public called Nelson police advising that a man was attempting to harm himself at a picnic area at Rabbit Island, Nelson.
When police arrived the man stopped his attempt and left his vehicle carrying a loaded .22 rifle. He walked a short distance away and then threatened to harm himself with the firearm.
An unarmed policeman approached the man and negotiated with him. After approximately 50 minutes the man surrendered without incident prior to the arrival of AOS members.
Senior Sergeant Stu Koefoed of Nelson police advised that a 43-year-old Nelson man had been arrested and will be appearing in Court tomorrow charged with a firearms offence.
