UK
Man who barricaded himself in with gas canister involved in 50-hour police stand-off
A man has been arrested after police spent more than 50 hours negotiating with someone alone in a property with a gas canister.
There had been “significant fears” that the man in the property on Daneby Road, Catford, south London, would harm himself or others, police said.
A man, 26, has been arrested on suspicion of making threats to cause criminal damage with intent to endanger life.
Pic: UKNIP
He required hospital treatment for a foot injury after he was bitten by a police dog and remains in hospital.
It is understood that people from 50 surrounding properties were asked to leave their homes during the incident.
Lewisham Council said in a social media post on Thursday that the Salvation Army and a local church provided rest centres for displaced residents.
Pic: UKNIP
Detective Superintendent James Derham from the Metropolitan Police said: “I want to say a big thank you to those in Catford for their patience and assistance over the last few days while officers worked around the clock to resolve this incident safely.”
“I absolutely do not underestimate the impact this has had on the day-to-day lives of residents, especially those who were displaced from their homes,” he said.
Pic: UKNIP
“Our specialist and local officers used all their skills to deal successfully with this extremely sensitive and complex matter in a thoroughly professional manner.
“This involved the deployment of crisis negotiators to communicate with the man inside the address and highly trained firearms officers to ensure the safety of all involved.”
Pic: UKNIP
Pic: UKNIP
He added: “At this time, police cordons at the address are still in place while we work to swiftly conclude our enquiries.
“Our priority, from the start, has been to bring this incident to a safe conclusion for everyone involved and I am pleased we have been able to do this.”
One resident revealed the extent of the disruption to her life.
Police knocked on Neena Desai’s door at around 7pm on Monday evening.
Officers said her family had to evacuate because of a “suspected gas leak”.
Neena Desai
They were told to wait further down the road but Ms Desai went to her mother’s home in Bromley.
She stayed there for one night before going to a local hotel for the following two nights.
“Neither me nor my partner could go to work because we couldn’t come back and get any stuff. I actually work most of the time from home – my laptop and stuff are all there.
“My son couldn’t go to college for three days because he didn’t have any of his books.”
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“We had nothing but the clothes we were standing in so we then had to buy a change of clothes, toiletries, food.”
She said it was “a big expense and a big inconvenience”.
“Until this morning we weren’t sure if we were going to be able to come back today,” she said.
“It was really frightening because you don’t know what’s going to happen.”