Armed police swooped on a retail store in Timaru’s CBD on Monday after a toy gun was taken into a shop to be repaired on Monday.

Sergeant Grant Lord, of Timaru, who was at the scene, said police received reports of a firearm being taken into a store on Stafford St just before 5pm.

A 22-year-old man and a 19-year-old woman were spoken to after they took the broken toy pistol into the store in the hope of getting it fixed, he said.

“The toy pistol was out where it could be seen. They were spoken to,” Lord said.

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The pair apologised to police before leaving the scene.

A witness said she saw armed police outside the Hot Boxx vape and shisha specialist retail store just after 5pm.

She said she watched as police checked inside a car parked in front of the store.

A nearby retailer, who also witnessed the incident, said she didn’t think much of it until she saw police surrounding the car.

“The next thing you know, I seen one of the people coming out with their hands up, and they put them up against that wall … and I seen another person in there get patted down.”