Police have closed off part of central London after a car crashed into the gates of Downing Street. Police have arrested a man following the collision at 4.20pm this afternoon (May 25).
A cordon has been in place in the Whitehall area, with streets taped off. Armed officers arrested a man at the scene.
The Metropolitan Police says the incident is not currently being treated as terror related. A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: "At around 16:20hrs a car collided with the gates of Downing Street on Whitehall.
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"Armed officers arrested a man at the scene on suspicion of criminal damage and dangerous driving. There are no reports of any injuries.
"Enquiries are ongoing." In a further update, the Met added: "A small cordon remains in place outside Downing Street after a car collided with the gates earlier this afternoon.
“The incident is being dealt with by local officers in Westminster and isn’t currently being treated as terror-related.” Large sections of Whitehall were closed to the public and vehicles, with pedestrians being turned away from the main thoroughfare around Downing Street.
Rishi Sunak was in Downing Street at the time the car crashed into the front gates, the PA news agency understands. The Prime Minister, who had been due to leave No 10 anyway, departed after the crash.
Police officers have been blocking access to the street from outside the Ministry of Defence. The incident came as many civil servants in Whitehall were leaving their offices for the day.
Police have since opened the cordon that was restricting access for the area of Whitehall outside Downing Street where a car hit the Downing Street gates. Dozens of members of the public filed out as armed officers kept watch near the crashed car.
Witness Simon Parry, 44, told PA: “I heard a bang and looked up and saw loads of police with taser guns shouting at the man. A lot of police vehicles came very quickly and were very quick to evacuate the area.”
Mr Parry said the driver had his 'face to the floor' as he was being arrested. He said the man appeared to slow down before he reached the gates of Downing Street, having driven out from the other side of the road.
“There were sniffer dogs and a bomb squad," Mr Parry added. Asked to describe the mood in the immediate aftermath, Mr Parry said: “We saw people that were in a panic running away and we saw people who were excited.”
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