Knifeman in gas mask and camouflage is SHOT and wounded by police after going on rampage and setting home alight in Inverness
- A man wearing a gasmask and brandishing a knife was shot by armed officers
- It came after he appeared to set his home alight, then abseiled out of the block
- Police spoke with him for roughly 15 minutes before he charged at them
A man wearing army fatigues and a gas mask was shot by police yesterday following a tense stand-off.
Officers were called to the scene in the New Craigs area of Inverness at about 3pm yesterday after they received a report of ‘concern for a person’.
They were confronted by a man in camouflage gear and a gas mask, brandishing what appeared to be knives in both hands.
Witnesses said he had abseiled out of his flat, which was believed to have been on fire. A police Armed Response Unit was dispatched to support uniformed first responders.
Astonished residents gathered in the street as police cordoned off the scene.
Images of the incident show a man standing in front of a block of flats below a smoking window.
Police spoke to the man for about 15 minutes. However, he then charged at officers swinging what appeared to be a chain, before being shot by police.
A man wearing army fatigues and a gas mask was shot by police yesterday following a tense stand-off
Police spoke to the man for about 15 minutes. However, he then charged at officers swinging what appeared to be a chain, before being shot by police
Armed officers could be seen standing a few yards away seconds before he ran towards them. Police then secured the man in case he was still a threat.
The man was taken away by ambulance as firefighters battled the blaze inside the first-floor flat of the three-storey building.
A number of residents in the block had to be evacuated as a result of the fire.
Police confirmed a 40-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident and taken to Raigmore Hospital.
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: ‘Officers attended at a property on Polvanie View in Inverness around 3pm on Thursday, March 31, following a report of concern for a person.
‘On attendance, the property was on fire. No one was injured as a result of the fire and it was extinguished by the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and a number of neighbouring residents have had to be evacuated.
‘During the incident a 40-year-old man was shot by the police. He has been arrested in connection with the incident and has been taken to Raigmore Hospital for treatment where he remains with serious injuries.
‘As with any firearm and Taser deployment, the circumstances of the incident have been referred to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC).’
Officers from Police Scotland surround an armed assailant in a housing estate in the east of Inverness. The male had been attempting to set a property on fire when Officers arrived.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the address at 3.14pm yesterday and had sent a number of fire engines to the scene
One witness said: ‘I just feel bad for everyone else in that flat block, how terrifying.’
Several people took to social media to thank the emergency services.
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the address at 3.14pm yesterday and had sent a number of fire engines to the scene.
Police said inquiries are ongoing and have asked anyone with footage of the incident to contact the force.
Chief Superintendent Conrad Trickett said: ‘We want to reassure the public that this incident is contained and there is no threat to the wider public.’
PIRC said: ‘We are investigating an incident involving a 40-year-old man in Inverness on March 31, 2022. Our investigation will focus on the police contact throughout the incident with the man who is currently under arrest and receiving treatment in hospital.’
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