Police are investigating a gun scare that put two South Auckland schools in lockdown today.
About 1500 students and staff were briefly kept on the schools' grounds in Manurewa right at the end of the school day.
The principal of James Cook High School, Vaughan Couillault, said he saw an argument on the street just before 3pm and when one of the young people pulled out a gun, he called 111 and put the school into full lockdown.
"People basically just stayed in class and sit tight. We secured our front gates, we had staff at the front of the road keeping parents down to one end of the school and also communicating with them, because obviously parents were a little bit distressed."
Mr Couillault said police found the youths at another property and they are not connected with the school.
The other school involved was Leabank Primary School across the road.
Police believe the firearm was an airgun and say the Armed Offenders Squad was not called out.
