Witnesses react to armed police drama

Eye-witnesses have described the dramatic moment armed police swooped on a Lerwick street.

A Murraystone resident said he arrived home from work at 4.30pm and saw a man standing at the side of the road. He later witnessed the same man allegedly pointing a weapon at police officers.

Referring to his first sighting he said: “I thought it was a bit weird. He was standing there … He was on the phone the whole time.”

The witness described going inside his house and locking the door behind him. His intention was to call the police, but officers arrived on the scene before he made the call.

“I went inside and just as I turned around to look and see what he was doing, the police were here.”

He said he believed the man had come down off Staney Hill. He added joggers had been running past before the police arrived at the scene.

The man said there was a “stand-off” between the man and police which lasted around 45 minutes.

He added police were situated at either end of the road.

“Nothing really happened and then the ‘Swat team’ arrived.”

He said two armed officers jumped over fences in a bid to apprehend the man. “They shouted ‘freeze, get down on the ground’.”

He said the man went down on his knees with his hands behind his head.

One Helendale resident, who did not wish to be named, said her son had spotted the man as he walked by their house.

“I just heard from neighbours … Then my son said he had seen him going through the communal bit near the house.

“We could see him afterwards, over at Murraystone, but we couldn’t really see what was happening.

“It’s quite a scary thing for Shetland. You don’t expect that kind of thing in Shetland.”

• A man was arrested in connection with an alleged firearms incident on Tuesday afternoon