Three women held hostage after armed cops descended on property

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Armed cops descended on a home after three women were allegedly held hostage for hours following a report of a robbery at a nearby shop.Officers were called to a property on North Road, Wallsend, on Sunday afternoon, October 15, to reports of a man holding three women in a property.The incident came after an alleged armed raid at a shop in the town, understood to be Porter's News on Station Road.

All of the women were released unharmed after several hours of negotiations, Chronicle Live reports.Police dog units were called to the scene and eyewitnesses told how officers cordoned off the area.

Officers with guns were also seen taking cover from a police vehicle while pointing towards a property.It is understood officers left the scene around 2am and the flat has since been boarded up. Join the Daily Record's WhatsApp community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. A man, 36, has now been arrested on suspicion of robbery and three women, one aged 44 and two aged 37, have been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Shortly before 4pm yesterday officers investigating reports of a robbery at a shop on Station Road, Wallsend, were informed of a disturbance at an address on North Road.“It was reported that a man was holding three women inside the address.

Officers attended the scene and following several hours of negotiation, all three women were released uninjured.“Officers arrested a man, aged 36, on suspicion of robbery and three women, one aged 44 and two aged 37, on suspicion of assisting an offender.“All four people are currently in police custody.” Don't miss the latest n ews from around Scotland and beyond. Sign up to our daily newsletter