Witham: Armed cops in crossbow swoop (From Braintree and Witham Times)

Witham: Armed cops in crossbow swoop

8:56am Wednesday 5th September 2012 in News

Witham: Armed cops in crossbow swoop

Armed police swooped on stunned friends after reports one of them was firing a crossbow.

The officers surrounded the flat in Barnfield Place, off Newland Street, Witham, in the early hours of Monday.

Police, who also found a machete and Samurai sword in a flat, later released the four people without charge as there was no evidence an offence had been committed Martin Dixon, who lives at the property, had bought the £120 crossbow just three hours earlier and had shown it to his friend Alex Rudd, 21, in the garden.

Mr Rudd was woken at about 1.30am by the police.

He said: “Me and my girlfriend were asleep and Martin was asleep in the living room.

“The police phoned him and said to come down.

“There were lights coming through the window.

“We were told to stand at the window and there were red dots on our heads."

See this week's Times for the full story.