A man is facing multiple charges after being arrested outside a Christchurch preschool.

An eyewitness told Chris Lynch Media at least five police cars were parked outside the preschool on Ferry Road just before 4PM on Tuesday, with one officer carrying a rifle she said.

A parent whose child was inside at the time of the incident said she and her partner got a fright when they went to pick up their child and saw police “blocking off the centre.”

The man was not related to the centre.

A police spokesman said at 3.15 PM police received a report relating a “damaged vehicle driving badly.” 

A 26-year-old man was taken into custody after being stopped by police on Ferry Road the police spokesman said.

The man faces several charges relating to possession of an offensive weapon, common assault, possession of utensils, and possession of cannabis, and is expected to appear in the Christchurch District Court next week. 

The centre emailed parents letting them know that “yesterday we had a situation outside in our carpark that was unrelated to our Centre. This involved police having a discussion with people in their car and our carpark was the venue they used.”

It said, “I want to reassure everyone that we followed our procedure when this occurred and at no time were we involved.”