A man who allegedly held-up a Christchurch petrol station with a pistol in the early hours of today is being hunted by police.
A "skinny" man with a red scarf over his face, wearing a black hooded sweatshirt and armed with the handgun, entered the Caltex station on Main South Rd in Hornby around 5.45am.
He demanded cigarettes and cash before running towards Goulding Ave.
A police dog tracked him for a period before losing the track in the Kyle Park area.
It sparked a call-out by the armed offenders squad to a nearby address, but it proved to be a "dud", a police spokesman said.
A scene examination has been carried out by a team of detectives and forensic staff.
While the offender remained at large, "clear" footage of him had been obtained, detective sergeant Hamish Wilson said.
