WATCH: Armed police detain man under Southsea resident's car after chase in "scary" incident
Man was chased by police after behaving suspiciously
A man was caught hiding under a car in Southsea before being detained by armed police in what was described as a “dramatic” and “scary” incident.
Footage captured the episode in the courtyard of a property in Theatre Mews, off Napier Road, around 1.40am on Saturday that saw a man handcuffed and led away after running from officers.
Resident John Harvey, who recorded the incident on his security camera, said he was woken up by shouting but initially just thought it was just late night “idiots” from nearby Albert Road.
The 75-year-old said: “A man came running into my courtyard and hid under a car. Then police came along and shouted ‘armed police show your hands’ and called for back up.
“They detained him at gunpoint, handcuffed him and took him away. Police told me the man had been seen acting suspiciously and legged it when they tried to speak to him.
“They must have frightened him when they pulled the gun out and were shouting. It was pretty scary.
“The man had a big bag which he hid under the car and was searched. It was quite a kerfuffle.”
The resident said he had no idea why police were chasing the suspect. “There were two armed officers with their guns out so they must have had a tip off he was armed,” John said.
“They searched the man’s bag and when uniformed police turned up they searched the courtyard and dustbins but found nothing.”
The clip shows an officer flash a torch and spot the male by the car after entering the courtyard area. He then shouts “armed police show me your hands” before telling the suspect to “stay still” as he approaches the man who asks why armed police are chasing him. Another officer stands at the entrance to the courtyard.
The officer then asks in a subsequent clip: “Have you got a knife on you?” The man laughs and replies “no mate I promise you I haven’t” before he is handcuffed and checked.
Footage then shows the man being led away in handcuffs. Police said the man was not arrested and was “temporarily detained to conduct the search, but no arrest was made”.
A police spokesperson said: “At around 1.40am on Saturday 27 June, police officers in a vehicle on Albert Road in Southsea were flagged down by door staff outside of a bar to make them aware of a man who had been acting suspiciously in the area.
“The officers, who were equipped with but did not use tasers, conducted a search of the area to locate the man and establish what had happened. He was located under a car on Theatre Mews.
“The man was searched by officers, however no offences were identified and no further action was required.”