The mayor of Palmerston North is glad residents were able to sleep undisturbed last night after an armed man forced the suburb of Cloverlea into lockdown for nearly two days.
FULL STORY: Gun found at scene of Palmerston North standoff
Caleb Kovaleski was apprehended last night around 5pm by police after a tense standoff. A gun was found at the scene.
The 25-year-old father of five went on the run after a high speed pursuit with police on Thursday morning, believed to have a gun. He had a number of arrest warrants for dishonesty and driving offences
Residents were locked out of their homes overnight and had properties searched as armed police flooded the area
Palmerston North Mayor Grant Smith is relieved it all ended without issue.
"Some hadn't been home for two days and they were worried about things like pets, where they were going to sleep for the night and some medication issues," he said.
A second night of the cordon would have been hard for everyone involved, "not only on police dealing with the issue, but also the residents of Cloverlea and the couple of hundred people that couldn't get back into their houses."
Scores of families were forced to spend last night elsewhere in the city as the suburb remained under a tight cordon. A refuge centre was set up at the Cloverlea Tavern for those affected.
The standoff was marked by repeated pleas from police, family and friends for the gunman to give himself up.
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