Footage of a man walking through Melbourne holding a gun and smoking a cigarette has emerged before a wild police chase through the CBD ended in his arrest.

Tactical police swooped on the man during the morning city peak hour, arresting him in a lane off Bourke Street, near Pellegrini’s Espresso Bar, following a string of alleged carjackings in Tarneit and North Melbourne.

Witnesses saw police swarming down laneways and a man running through an office building lobby, as Air Wing helicopters hovered overhead.

Police said there was no ongoing risk to the public. The armed man was taken into custody to be interviewed, a spokeswoman said.

The footage, captured by a camera on a nearby building, shows a man dressed in a suit with a gun and a cigarette.

Officers could be seen combing the sce

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