Dramatic footage of an alleged armed offender being shot at by police in Auckland has emerged online.

The video posted to Facebook on Friday shows a red Holden Commodore speeding down a Manurewa road before pulling a dramatic hand-brake turn and skidding to a halt in front of police.

Another police car was in hot pursuit of the vehicle and pulls up behind to block it in.

Three shots ring out as the driver turns and tears down the road in the opposite direction, driving on the footpath and the wrong side of the road to avoid police.

Witness Josiah Wallace captured the whole thing on camera, and he says the public was in danger.

"The officer gets out of his vehicle, and instantly with no thought about the public pulls his firearm and fires shots at the Holden."

Mr Wallace says things could have gone badly

"About a metre away there was a family who had just finished eating with their kids in the car," he told Newshub.

"[The kids] were crying and the guy got out of his car and yells 'I've got kids in here!'"

He says the officer just stared at the family before driving off after the Holden.Police say they were first notified of the driver at 3.12pm on Thursday with a report of multiple shots being fired after an altercation in Northcote.

A police helicopter saw the driver flee the scene, heading south on the Northern motorway.

The driver was speeding and weaving in and out of traffic at breakneck speeds, before tossing a gun out in Northcote.

After failing to stop for police, the chase was abandoned due to the reckless driving.

At 4.25pm, the driver was apprehended by armed police and the dog squad.

The alleged offender was bitten by a police dog, and transported to Middlemore Hospital where he is currently under scene guard while he receives treatment.

Superintendent Naila Hassan says the incident could have been a lot worse.

"This incident could easily have had a tragic outcome," she said in a statement on Thursday.

"This was an extremely volatile and dangerous situation where we had a person who was known to have used a firearm, demonstrating violent behaviour and fleeing police. On more than one occasion the driver clipped vehicles driven by innocent members of the public."

Superintendent Hassan says the 44-year-old man will be facing a number of driving and firearms-related charges, but details cannot be confirmed yet.

Newshub.