A car window was smashed in Knaresborough last night by a person believed to be using a slingshot or catapult.
Police sent armed officers and a helicopter after receiving reports that a window had been smashed in a car driving along Chain Lane at about 7.25pm.
A North Yorkshire Police statement this morning said:
“Due to the serious nature of the report, specialist firearms officers and the police helicopter were deployed immediately.
“After reviewing dashcam footage, it is a believed a slingshot or catapult-type weapon was used to damage the car window. No one was injured.”
“Enquiries are ongoing to identify any suspects.”
The statement does not say whether anyone was injured in the attack.
Police have asked anyone who witnessed the incident to call them on 101, quoting reference 12220098605.
Police respond to gun reports near Dishforth to find long-lens cameraNorth Yorkshire Police sent armed police to a motorway bridge near Dishforth to discover that men reportedly carrying a gun were just taking pictures with a long-lens camera.
A driver called the police to tell them they had spotted one of three men on the A1(M) flyover take out what they described as a “long-barrelled gun” on Tuesday.
An operational support unit and firearns officers attended and sent up a drone, which took the above picture.
Officers soon discovered that the men were there with a camera to take picture of trucks and then left the men to their hobby.
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A spokesperson for North Yorkshire Police said:
Police commissioner trends with calls for his resignation“The three men did intend to shoot something but fortunately it was only photgraphs.
“Their hobby was truck-spotting and the ‘long-barrel gun’ was actually a long-lens camera which they used to take shots of passing wagons. After checking all was well, we left them to it.
“The member of the public was absolutely right to report their suspicions. Always better to be safe than sorry.”
North Yorkshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner is facing thousands of calls for his resignation for comments he made about the murder of Sarah Everard.
Philip Allott told the BBC today that women “need to be streetwise” about police powers and that Ms Everard should “never have submitted to arrest”.
Mr Allott initially defended his comments by saying he was not blaming the victim on Twitter before he deleted the Tweet and apologised.
However, his apology has not stemmed a tide of fury on Twitter. More than a thousand people commented on his apology in under an hour.
These comments are completely obscene. It is victim blaming 101.
The onus should never be on women to change their behaviour, but on men, our institutions and society to reform. https://t.co/U8SThWM6tb
— Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan (@MayorofLondon) October 1, 2021
These comments are appalling. It’s not up to women to fix this. It’s not us who need to change. The problem is male violence, not women’s ‘failure’ to find ever more inventive ways to protect ourselves against it. For change to happen, this needs to be accepted by everyone. https://t.co/8oC2c5U9Pj
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) October 1, 2021
This idiot needs to be fired. Immediately. https://t.co/tNgeEluFWf
— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) October 1, 2021
The police are telling women that women are responsible for whether or not they are attacked or murdered by the police https://t.co/TS8IAtObuY
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) October 1, 2021
Since then “Philip Allott” has become number one trending in the UK, “Resign” is number seven trending and “Police Commissioner” is number eight trending.
Labour leader Kier Starmer, Nicola Sturgeon, First Minister of Scotland, and TV personality Piers Morgan were among those expressing anger about Mr Allott’s comments.
The Stray Ferret asked if he would consider his position, Mr Allott said:
“No, I’m not. I have got a great record in protecting women. It was one of my campaign pledges.”
Mr Allott’s comments come as murderer Wayne Couzens, a Met Police officer, had falsely arrested 33-year-old Ms Everard in order to abduct her.
Couzens was given a whole life sentence at the Old Bailey yesterday
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Two in hospital after armed police incident in Bilton
Two people are being treated in hospital after an incident involving armed police on Woodfield Road in the Bilton area of Harrogate today.
Officers were called to Woodfield Road after being alerted to a disturbance in a council flat close to Woodfield Community Primary School before 7am.
Police put a cordon in place and a long stretch of the road was closed until a man was led away at about 10.10am.
North Yorkshire Police has now said a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of affray.
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It tweeted this afternoon:
Bilton shocked after four-hour armed police incident“A man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of affray and has been taken to hospital for treatment.
“A woman was also taken to hospital with an injury to her hand.
“The cordon has now been lifted and the road has reopened.”
People in Bilton have spoken of their shock after the suburb became the scene of a four-hour armed police incident this morning.
Officers were called to Woodfield Road after being alerted to a disturbance in a council flat close to Woodfield Community Primary School.
A large stretch of the road was closed amid reports of a man behaving erratically in a first-floor window.
Crowds gathered to watch about half a dozen armed police officers, protected by a shield, stand in a garden outside the flat. An ambulance was also on hand.
Police were seen talking to the man, who was leaning out of the window.
A nearby resident on Woodfield Road, who asked not to be named, said they became aware of the commotion at about 6.30am and police arrived after it got louder. She said:
“There were loads of police. It was a worrying incident.”
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A workman in the area told the Stray Ferret he arrived in the area at 7.30am and was shocked to see about eight police vehicles and an ambulance.
“There was a guy throwing stuff from a window and shouting, and a lot of police cars moving about. It was shocking.”
A police cordon was erected as more and more people began to gather on the street to watch the drama unfold.
North Yorkshire Police issued a short statement saying a police negotiator was at the scene and the public were not thought to be at risk.
Eventually, at about 10.10am, a man was escorted by police into a van and the road reopened, bringing a tense and dramatic morning to a conclusion.
A man is led away by police on Woodfield Road.
Armed police outside the flat.
Police officer stands next to the cordon at Woodfield Road this morning.
Woodfield Road was closed by police.