A man has been arrested after pointing a “gun” at officers as he tried to flee, police said. Police were called to Quay Street in Manchester city centre this afternoon after an alarm was raised at a business.
A man attempted to steal items from a Tesco store before fleeing. Greater Manchester Police said the man had a weapon.
When officers arrived shortly after 12:15 p.m., the man “pointed a firearm at them in an attempt to evade capture,” police said. The man, believed to be in his 30s, was arrested a short time later on suspicion of robbery, firearms offenses and searching for a new inmate.
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Police say the gun turned out to be an imitation. The man was taken into custody and is expected to be questioned.
Rick Jackson, GMP Deputy Chief Constable, said: “The responding officers did an outstanding job, their swift and decisive actions resulted in the apprehending of a potentially dangerous individual. This was an isolated incident and although the weapon we recovered was an imitation, at the time the responding officers would not have known this as it closely resembled a serviceable firearm.
“I am pleased to report that no members of the public or any of our officers were injured. Our job is to keep you safe, which is why we have specialist officers patrolling sensitive areas within the force.
“Our aim is to build trust between those who live and work in Greater Manchester, and I feel our actions today have gone a long way towards achieving that.”
