This is the dramatic moment that armed police swooped on a beach and arrested a suspected gunman wearing camouflage after two people were threatened.
Police were called to reports of a man walking around sleepy Charmouth, in Bridport, Dorset, brandishing a firearm at 7.42am on Saturday.
Dorset Police said that at least two people were threatened by a man before armed officers descended on the area and launched a huge search operation.
Officers, including a dog unit, supported by the NPAS helicopter scoured the coastal village and nearby clifftops before arresting a man, in his 50s, at 9.30am – almost two hours later.
Footage shows a man in a camouflage jacket and sweet bonanza shorts being led away on the beach in Charmouth by six firearms officers and two policemen.
Dorset Police said a suspected gun was recovered and the man was detained on suspicion of possessing a firearm in a public place.He was later released on bail and taken to hospital ‘to receive the appropriate care’.
This is the dramatic moment that armed police swooped on a beach and arrested a suspected gunman wearing camouflage after two people were threatened
Dorset Police said a suspected gun was recovered and the man was detained on on suspicion of possessing a firearm in a public place.He was later released on bail and taken to hospital. Pictured: Armed officers were called to the scene
Stunned residents of Charmouth – a seaside village along the Jurrasic Coast which is known for its dramatic cliffs – have revealed their shock of seeing the gunman.
Ali Ferris, a manager at the Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre, told local media that ‘you’d never expect it in sleepy Dorset’.
Ms Ferris, who was about to lead a guided fossil tour with about 50 people, including children, told Bridport News: ‘It became real when the police with guns turned up.We saw a gunman in the distance.
‘To be honest it was a bit of a surreal experience because it’s not what you would expect to see. You’d never expect it in sleepy Dorset.’
A spokesman for Dorset Police said: ‘A man arrested in connection with a reported firearms incident in Charmouth has been released on police bail while enquiries continue.
Locals were left stunned that a man brandishing a weapon was walking around the sleepy Dorset village
Charmouth (pictured) is a seaside village along the Jurrasic Coast which is known for its dramatic cliffs
‘At 7.42am on Saturday 12 August 2023 the ambulance service contacted Dorset Police to report that a man, suspected to be in need of medical treatment, was walking around Charmouth with a gun.
‘During the incident it is alleged that two people were threatened by the man. No one was injured.
‘A man, aged in his 50s, was arrested on suspicion of possessing a firearm in a public place.A suspected firearm was recovered.
‘He has since been released on police bail and has been taken to hospital to receive the appropriate care.
‘An investigation remains ongoing and detectives continue to appeal for witnesses to get in touch.’
