Police went to an address on Canterbury St about 5.40pm after they received reports of suspicious behaviour at the house.
A man then allegedly pointed a shotgun at them before retreating into the house he had been living in.
Lyttelton Sergeant Gerard Peoples said the shotgun was not loaded when it was recovered, but was suspected to have been loaded when allegedly pointed at the police.
The man was arrested without incident and has since been charged with multiple offences.
They include presenting a firearm, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, unlawful possession of restricted weapons (two tasers) and possession of cannabis for supply.
He has been remanded in custody and will re-appear in court in early July.
The incident took place just two days before to the anniversary of the death of Constable Matthew Hunt who was shot and killed on June 19, 2020.
Hunt was killed during a routine traffic stop in Massey, Auckland. Another officer was seriously injured.
Eli Bob Sauna Epiha, has been accused of killing Hunt and is set to stand trial on charges of murder and attempted murder at the High Court.
Peoples said this and the Lyttelton incident illustrates the current dangers faced by the police.
“Generally speaking, criminals involved in the drug scene are known to arm themselves for protection against the threat of being ‘ripped off’ by other criminals.
“Police are keen to identify criminal elements, especially those dealing drugs and in possession of firearms so that we can remove these risks to our community,” Peoples said.
He encourages anyone who has information regarding such matters to contact the police or to make an anonymous report via the Crimestoppers website.
