Two men were held after allegedly pointing a gun at police.

During an exercise conducted in St Joseph overnight, officers attempted to stop a silver Toyota vehicle with two male occupants.

In the chase that followed, the suspect on the passenger side allegedly pointed a firearm at the marked police vehicle, prompting the officers to discharge one round.

They eventually intercepted the vehicle and held two men.

An AR-15 rifle loaded with a magazine containing 30 rounds of ammunition was also retrieved at the scene.