Gun Show on Dundas

by Rory MacDonald | 11:28 pm 25/07/2010

The Armed Offenders Squad was called to a Dundas Street student flat last Monday, after receiving a call that a man was threatening female flatmates, and that weapons were being held at the address.

After a standoff that lasted an hour, the Armed Offenders squad removed a 19-year-old man from the flat. He was remanded into police custody, and charged with possession of drug utensils. More charges are likely. 

The drama began when police received a call at 11am, asking for their presence at a North Dunedin flat on Dundas Street, near Logan Park, to aid with a domestic confrontation. Police were informed that there were weapons at the address, and the Armed Offenders Squad was subsequently called at around 1pm.

The street was cordoned off at Clyde Street, Forth Street, and Harbour Terrace while police tried to coax the man out of the house.

Students were told to stay in their flats and others returning from University were not allowed through the cordons.

A witness told Critic that the police began addressing the man on a loud speaker, telling him that if he came out the side exit with his arms in the air he would not be harmed, and that the flat was completely surrounded by armed police. There was no response from the house. An officer repeated this for about ten minutes.

The unresponsive standoff continued for about half an hour, while police rearranged their vehicles and coordinated an advance on the house. 

Witnesses then heard up to four loud bangs that sounded like gunshots, before armed police entered the premises. It later became clear the loud bangs were stun grenades that had been thrown into the house. Roughly fifteen minutes after the Armed Offenders Squad entered the house they emerged with a man dressed in a 2009 Salmond Leavers hoodie. 

The man was arrested and charged with possession of drug utensils. Neighbours have told Critic that you could often smell dope coming from the house, and that passersby were sometimes invited in for a ‘sesh’.

The flatmates declined to comment when Critic approached them, but someone with knowledge of the situation says that the flatmate was a ‘random’ bought in to fill a spare room.

"He developed some sort of obsession with another of the flatmates, and was supposedly in love with her or something," the student says. "I don't believe it was reciprocal."

The flatmate, believed to be of Iranian descent, was acting weirdly and "walking round the house with a homemade knife, and being really odd." Various religious references were made.

The flatmates "just got the weirdest feelings, so they chucked all their shit in a bag and left right away. That's when they called the cops. They all got out of the flat and the Iranian guy must have been left in there."

No weapons were found at the address, although rumours persist that a knife was involved. 

The man was granted police bail and released into the custody of mental health authorities, and was expected to appear in court on Friday. 

What to Do if Your Flatmate’s a Pain/Homicidal

• If you are moving into a flat, make a flatting agreement, setting out expectations surrounding drugs, drinking, cleaning, etc, when you move in.

• Check out the OUSA Student Flatting Magazine for suggestions on handling those niggly little situations that crop up.

• If that doesn’t help come into OUSA Student Support and talk to a student advocate. They can arrange conflict resolutions and even flat mediations.

• Make sure you know your legal rights and obligations regarding flatting. Student advocates are trained in tenancy law and can help.

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