Armed police responded to reports of a man with a rifle in York, leading to a swift arrest and a temporary lockdown of the area
York: So, there was quite a scene in York city centre on Friday evening. Armed police had to cordon off the area after someone spotted a guy with what looked like a gun.
It all kicked off around 5:50 PM when folks reported seeing this man with a shotgun tucked away in a bag on Low Petergate. The police jumped into action, tracking him down using CCTV.
They found him near York Minster in Duncombe Place and managed to detain him pretty quickly, just after 6 PM. Turns out, he was carrying a long-barrelled air weapon, not a real shotgun. He was arrested and taken in for questioning.
Police said they had to send in armed officers because of the gun report, which is standard procedure. Thankfully, no one was hurt or threatened during the whole thing.
They also thanked the public for their quick calls and for being patient while they sorted everything out. At least three police vans showed up, along with a mix of marked and unmarked cars. They taped off Duncombe Place around St Wilfrid’s Church but reopened it around 6:45 PM after checking the area thoroughly.
