Tear gas ends Papakura bomb scare

Papakura town centre. File picture / The Aucklander

UPDATE - A man threatening to blow up a South Auckland service station with a bomb has surrendered to armed police after stumbling out of a tear gas-filled room.

The man was gassed five hours after he took over the Shell Roselands Service Station on Great South Road in Papakura about 9am, telling police he had a bomb.

The incident caused a huge disruption as police closed off all streets in a 600m radius near the service station, ordering hundreds of people to evacuate their homes and businesses.

The man was taken into custody about 2.35pm after armed police and army bomb experts sent in a robot to break a window in the room where the man had holed up.

A tear gas canister was then thrown in.

Police said after the man had been taken into custody the emergency was still not over.

The service station was still being searched an hour later to see if the device the man had was a bomb.

"Things could still go bang so they have got to clear the area," said Inspector Scott Webb from the police northern communications centre in Auckland.

"There was some sort of device and that is what they are checking out at the moment.

"We have got to treat it as though there was (a bomb) until they have cleared it.

"As soon as it is clear they will stand down all the roadblocks which have turned things into a nightmare out there," Mr Webb said.

The incident caused one of the largest emergencies in South Auckland for years, disrupting thousands of residents, workers and motorists as armed police closed off the area and shut down streets.

At one stage Papakura was thought to be completely inaccessible to traffic.

Emergency services were originally told the man had doused himself in petrol and 10 fire appliances, armed police and ambulance officers rushed to the area about 9.30am.

Later police said the petrol claim was not true but refused to release details until the incident was all but over.

The Papakura town centre and most of the business district near the service station on Great South Rd were evacuated and hundreds of people had their day disrupted.

The area near the service station was cordoned at 9.30am but by 11am police had widened the cordon and ordered many more people out of their homes and businesses.

Police said the area would not be reopened until bomb experts had studied the device declared it safe.

Inspector Alan Shearer confirmed the robot broke and the window and the man surrendered.

"There were no injuries to anyone involved including the man and staff from police, fire, ambulance and army.

"I am pleased with the way things went and would like to thank the public for their co-operation during the incident and in keeping away from the area as much as possible," Mr Shearer said in a statement.

Police are expected to lay charges against the Papakura man this evening.

Counselling is being made available for staff and customers who were in the Shell petrol station where the incident happened.

- NZPA