A smartphone crash alert has led police to a loaded crossbow, firearms, ammunition and a cache of weapons in Palmerston North.
Police say the emergency communications centre received an automatic crash alert about 1.40am on Saturday from the corner of Bourke Street and Walding Street.
Officers were sent to the location after the call ended quickly and attempts to contact the person again went unanswered.
When police arrived, they found a vehicle had crashed into the side of a commercial building on Bourke Street. A 22-year-old man, who was allegedly the driver, was standing beside the vehicle uninjured and holding a loaded crossbow.
Police say the man dropped the weapon when challenged by officers and was taken into custody.
A search of the vehicle and nearby area uncovered a stolen .22 rifle, an air rifle, four samurai swords in sheaths, a machete, a crossbow and arrows, a large hunting knife and a large amount of ammunition.
Police say some of the weapons had allegedly been hidden in nearby bushes.
The man is due to appear in Palmerston North District Court on June 18 facing charges including excess breath alcohol driving, careless driving, unlawful possession of a firearm, possession of offensive weapons and possession of a knife in public.
The incident highlights how automatic crash alert technology can quickly draw emergency services to potentially dangerous situations.
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