Armed police break into house ending Coventry siege after five days

12 January 2022, 13:08 | Updated: 13 January 2022, 21:58

A siege in Coventry has been brought to a safe end after armed police forced their way into a house where a father had been barricaded in with his young son for the last five days.

Specialist firearms officers moved in just after 8.30pm on Thursday evening and detained the 41-year-old man.

He is now being taken into custody where he will be assessed by mental health professionals, West Midlands Police said.

His son, 8, who is believed to have been physically unharmed, is safely with other members of his family.

Superintendent Ronan Tyrer, of Coventry Police, said: “This has been an incredibly sensitive and challenging siege, which had a boy aged eight, at its heart.

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"His safety was our main concern throughout this and so I’m sure everyone in Coventry shares in our relief that we have been able to get him safely out of the house today.

"The situation became untenable and it was decided to bring the siege to an end.

"At all times, we had to balance the risk to the boy being kept in the house, with the risk that he could be harmed if we did enter the house.

"Thankfully, he appears to be physically unharmed at this stage – but he is being properly cared for now to ensure he gets all the emotional and other support he needs.

"We are incredibly thankful for the way that the community in Earlsdon have supported us. We know it’s been drawn-out, tough and frustrating, but we have done our best to help you through this.

"I’d like to thank the firearms officers, negotiators, neighbourhood and other officers who have worked day and night to protect this boy, and the public."

The incident broke out when West Midlands Police went to a welfare check just after midday on Sunday.

Armed negotiators remained at the scene since Sunday - forcing businesses to close, a school to shut - and residents unable to go home.

The residential street in the Earlsdon area of the city had been rocked by the incident, with masked police carrying rifles and shields deploying to the scene.

CCTV images on Tuesday showed a hostage negotiator was at the scene, surrounded by police.

Method of entry kit also appeared to have been prepared.

Police have advised residents about what they need to do if they want to enter or leave their homes, and offered reassurance.

A library on Earlsdon Avenue North, where the stand-off is taking place, and Albany Road opened for people who need support.