ARMED police swooped on a Sidcup street this afternoon after reports of a gun-wielding man hanging out of a second floor window.
Officers were called to Beverly Court, St John’s Road, at around 12.20pm to find the man sitting on the edge of the window half in and half out of the room on the top floor.
Ambulance crews were called to the scene and the 41-year-old, who reportedly suffers from mental health problems, was taken to hospital.
Bexley police officers remained to interview a man thought to be sharing his flat.
A shocked neighbour returned from work in her car only to find the whole street cordoned off. The witness, who did not want to be named, drove round the corner and waited 45 minutes while the drama unfolded.
She told News Shopper: “I saw armed police all crouching down with their guns pointing at the flat at probably around 1pm.
“Apparently there was a siege in Beverley Court and there was a man with a gun.
“They were literally outside the house so I reversed back down the road and drove around the block because I couldn’t find any parking spaces."
The 41-year-old was seen hanging out of one of the windows on the left-hand side of the top floor of Beverly Court.
Peter Holsgrove lives on St John’s Road and runs an office and window cleaning company. He returned from work at around 1pm to find armed police crowded around Beverly Court opposite.
The 66-year-old said: “The man was sitting half in and half out of the window. He was talking to the police and they were all heavily armed.
“They had blocked the whole road off. I just glanced out and I wasn’t standing and looking all the time.”
Mental health and social worker Susan Samuels did not see the incident but the St John’s Road resident told News Shopper she spoke to the man involved at around 8.05am this morning.
The 44-year-old says she saw him at the Barnard Medical Practice round the corner in Granville Road while she was there to make an appointment.
She said: “He told me he was bipolar. He has highs and lows so this was probably a low.
“Something like this happened a couple of weeks ago. Police are always circling around because there’s always something going on.”
Susan Samuels lives across the road from Beverly Court.
It is thought the 41-year-old man had taken in another man who was formerly homeless and was seen being interviewed by police before returning to the flat while his host was taken to hospital.
A Bexley police spokesman said: “At 12.21 today Bexley police attended an incident at Beverly Court, Sidcup.
“A 41-year-old man was later conveyed by London Ambulance Service to a south London hospital.
“We can confirm a Met armed Trojan unit did attend but no firearms were found.”
Did you see what happened? Call the newsroom on 01689 885734 or e-mail sam.christie@london.newsquest.co.uk
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