A man with multiple weapons has injured three people in Leeds, police have said, with eyewitnesses claiming he was seen with a crossbow.
A major incident was declared after police rushed to Otley Road in Headingley just before 3pm today. West Yorkshire Police confirmed to The Mirror that “multiple weapons” were found at the scene.
The force said they have arrested a local man – and investigations are ongoing. The injured people suffered injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening. Several police remain in the area, which is known for the popular Leeds pub crawl, one of the most famous in the country, and would be packed with pub and restaurant goers on a Saturday afternoon.
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Police remain on Otley Road as their investigation continues.
The road is still closed from the crossroads to St Chad’s Drive.
A woman who works at Heaney & Mill on Otley Road described the moment a group of girls asked if they could hide in the restaurant as a man ran down the road with a crossbow.
She said: “It was really scary, because obviously, you don’t get this happening in Leeds. It’s not normal. You hear about this stuff in America, but not on your doorstep. It was really scary.”
She added: “I was at work at a nearby restaurant and some girls were sitting outside. They asked if they could come in and finish what they were having because they’d seen someone with a crossbow.
“This was all before the incident, and a few minutes later, we saw ambulances and police rushing down the roads. The roads were getting blocked off, and we’d been told by police to keep everyone indoors and away from the area.”
Staff at the restaurant had to inform people there what was happening, asking people to “please stay indoors.” They locked the doors and had to stop service.
Woodies Pub, which operates on Otley Road, said the incident had taken place further up the road from them.
They said: “The road has been closed off from the crossroads to St Chad’s Drive.
“The road is also off limits for pedestrians, and they are having to walk through Becketts Park”.
Several police scenes remain at the scene after the incident.
Bus passengers described how their bus was stopped and they were forced to get off the bus, which was diverted away from the scene.
The popular Leeds pub crawl would have been packed with punters enjoying drinks on Saturday afternoon.
Restaurant worker Bethany Connelly said local businesses locked doors to keep people safe as the incident unfolded.
Describing the incident as “not normal”, she told Yorkshire Live: “It was really scary, because obviously, you don’t get this happening in Leeds. It’s not normal. You hear about this stuff in America, but not on your doorstep.
“It was really scary. We had to tell everyone at the restaurant what was happening, and we had to say ‘can you please stay indoors? We are going to lock the doors just in case.’
“We have got a back kitchen, and all of our chefs were told to come in and we stopped service for a bit. It was really quite scary.”
West Yorkshire Police said in a statement: “Police were called to Otley Road, Leeds at 2,47pm today to reports of an ongoing serious incident involving a man seen with weapons.
“Officers attended and located three people who had suffered injuries which are at this time not being treated as life threatening.
“A male suspect was located and detained. Enquiries are in their initial stages to determine the wider circumstances of what has taken place and further updates will follow.
“A number of police scenes remain in place and ensuring public safety remains our priority.”
The police force said they located and detained the man.
The victims’ injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
Three people have been injured in the incident, West Yorkshire Police have confirmed.
The force rushed to Otley Road this afternoon following reports that a man had been seen with multiple weapons.
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