A suspected gunman was arrested after police ended a four-hour siege at a bowling alley in Nuneaton.<\/p>\n
Officers were called to MFA Bowl, in Bermuda Park, at around 14:30 BST on Sunday after reports a man with a shotgun had taken two hostages.<\/p>\n
A man was arrested after police stormed the building amid a series of flash bangs at about 18:30 BST.<\/p>\n
The suspect was treated at the scene, while two other men escaped uninjured, West Midlands Ambulance Service said.<\/p>\n
Ch Supt Alex Franklin-Smith, from Warwickshire Police, said officers brought the incident to “a peaceful resolution”.<\/p>\n
The siege was “unconnected” to terrorism, he added.<\/p>\n
The gunman reportedly walked into MFA Bowl and yelled “game over” before ordering people to get out.<\/p>\n
About 40 or 50 people were said to be inside the complex at the time.<\/p>\n
Both of the hostages – a duty manager and a bowling lane host – were unharmed but treated for shock.<\/p>\n
Chris Clegg, operations director of MFA Bowl, said: “It’s obviously not an everyday situation. The ambulance, police were checking them and making sure they were OK.”<\/p>\n
The firm’s chief executive Mehdi Amshar said he understood the man was known to a member of staff at the bowling alley.<\/p>\n
Specialist firearms officers and police negotiators were sent to the scene, and used flash bangs – which create a loud noise and bright light – to enter the premises.<\/p>\n
Warwickshire Police said officers were called to reports of a man – described by eyewitnesses as “in his 40s” with a gun “slung” over his shoulder – with a firearm at 14:30 BST.<\/p>\n
One witness, Chris Turner, told the BBC he was walking past the front entrance to the bowling alley when the man “ran up to the door”.<\/p>\n
He had “a gun in his hand” and told him to “get out of the area”, he said.<\/p>\n
Mr Turner said the man shouted at a crowd of people outside to leave, saying: “I’ve already told you once.”<\/p>\n
Eyewitnesses also spoke about how they fled the bowling alley, while others hid in toilets, as the gunman brandished a weapon above his head.<\/p>\n
Alex Mulholland said he was bowling when he looked up to see a man holding a gun over his head.<\/p>\n
“He was saying ‘game over, game over’, everyone was shouting, screaming, panicking, trying to get out and I didn’t know what to make of it, really,” he said. “I ran, got my things as quickly as I could and got out of there.”<\/p>\n
Other businesses in the leisure park, including a children’s soft play centre and restaurants, were put into lockdown.<\/p>\n
Families inside the soft play centre told the BBC they barricaded the front door with tables and chairs.<\/p>\n
Kelly Perrett, who was at the Frankie and Benny’s restaurant, told the BBC she was “hiding in the toilet with about 20 people”.<\/p>\n
“It looks like police have got the bowling alley surrounded. The police told me that the gunman is near the door with a hostage,” she said as the incident unfolded.<\/p>\n
Megan Westward said she was about to leave a children’s soft play centre when staff told her to move away from the windows.<\/p>\n
“There are quite a few bullet proof vans,” she said. “We’ve just seen an air ambulance take off, there are ambulances and there are police in full body suits with guns.”<\/p>\n
She was then evacuated to a nearby hotel.<\/p>\n
Following the conclusion of the siege, forensics officers were examining the scene and a red Peugeot 307 car was removed by police on the back of a vehicle transporter.<\/p>\n
Bermuda Park includes a Holiday Inn Express hotel, a gym, a DIY store, a soft play centre and several restaurants.<\/p>\n
Source: bbc.co.uk<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"