Armed police descend on town after gun was spotted
ARMED police descended on busy Tamworth town centre in broad daylight after a ‘gun’ was spotted in a bag.
Officers were called to George Street in Tamworth on Thursday afternoon, February 22, not long after the busy lunchtime rush hour.
Someone reported seeing a handgun in a man’s bag while inside a supermarket. Police, who were pictured outside Home Bargains, say no threats were made at the time and the suspect left the shop.
A 58-year-old man, from Tamworth, has since been arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm in a public place. Officers also seized an air pistol as part of their enquiries.
Staffordshire Police confirmed: “We have arrested a man after a firearm was spotted in a bag in Tamworth.
“We got a call just before 1.30pm on Thursday, February 22 to a supermarket on George Street. Someone reported seeing a handgun in a man’s bag whilst inside the store. No threats were made and the man left the shop without incident.
“We started work to find out more about what happened. On Friday, February 23, we arrested a 58-yearold man, from Tamworth, on suspicion of possession of a firearm in a public place. He remains in custody while enquiries continue.”
They later updated on Monday to say: “We have seized an air pistol as part of our enquiries after someone spotted a firearm in a man’s bag in Tamworth.
“We got a call just before 1.30pm on Thursday (22 February) to a supermarket on George Street. Someone reported seeing a handgun in a man’s bag whilst inside the store. No threats were made and the man left the shop without incident.
“The 58-year-old man, from Tamworth, who was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm in a public place, has since been released on conditional police bail.
“Since the arrest, we searched an address in the area and seized an air pistol from inside. Our enquiries are ongoing.”