Armed police swoop after man spotted walking with crossbow in broad daylight
He has been arrested
Armed police were called in (stock image)(Image: PA)
A man has been arrested after he was spotted carrying a crossbow in broad daylight by an off-duty police officer. The incident occurred in Widnes at around 7.50am on Sunday,
The off-duty Merseyside Police officer spotted the man carrying a crossbow in the Victoria Avenue area. Following his call to Cheshire Police, armed officers were swiftly deployed to the area and located a 50-year-old man who was in possession of a crossbow wrapped inside a bag.
Luckily it was not loaded. The man, who is from St Helens, was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and remains in custody at this time.
Chief Inspector Fez Khan, of Armed Policing, said: “The decision to take a walk with a crossbow in your hand, thinking you will not get armed police officers running at you and detaining you is either very brave or very foolish as it will always result in a trip to our custody suites.
“I would like to thank our officers for their swift action in responding to this incident as well as our off-duty colleague from Merseyside who was in the right place at the right time and reported this to us.”