A man 'in possession of bladed weapons' was arrested on suspicion of kidnap tonight after armed officers raced to the Royal Oldham Hospital. Police said the man had 'gained access to a car' outside the entrance to the hospital's accident and emergency unit.
Greater Manchester Police described the man as being 'armed' and said he was 'detained safely' after specialist armed response officers were called. There have been no reports of any injuries.
Unconfirmed reports on social media suggested the hospital was put into 'lockdown', with no one allowed to enter or leave for a time, until the incident was resolved. The Manchester Evening News has contacted the hospital for comment.
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In a statement tonight, GMP confirmed the incident 'has been contained' and said there was no threat to the public in the area. It followed an earlier incident at an address nearby - and police said they attended the hospital 'following intelligence relating to the same male'.
A witness at the hospital said she saw seven or eight police cars outside at 6.30pm. Officers were parked in the car park outside the main entrance to the hospital, she added.
The witness told the M.E.N.: "I got locked in my room earlier. It was about 6pm. There were riot vans and could hear a helicopter flying over and everything, but it seemed to be over really quickly."
A visitor to the hospital told the M.E.N. he saw a man being arrested. "I just parked up and saw loads of armed police," he said. "They all had machine guns and then pushed him over the car and arrested him. It seemed to be over and done with in about 20 minutes."
In the statement, GMP said: "On Tuesday 30 August 2022 at around 4.30pm we received a number of reports about an initial incident on Grisebeck Way, Oldham. This was regarding a concern for the welfare of a man.
"Armed officers, together with the police helicopter and North West Ambulance Service, then responded to the Royal Oldham Hospital shortly after 5.30pm following additional intelligence relating to the same male.
"The incident has been contained with no injuries reported and no direct threat to the public in the immediate area. Enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances and an active investigation is ongoing but the 31-year-old man, who was armed, has been safely detained and arrested on suspicion of kidnap."
Chief Inspector Mark Allinson, from Greater Manchester Police, said: "Shortly before 5.30pm today we were called to the Royal Oldham Hospital following reports of a male in possession of bladed weapons who had gained access to a car outside the main Accident & Emergency entrance.
"Specialist armed officers arrived quickly and were able to safely take control of the situation which was brought to a swift conclusion. There is no risk to the wider public and there is no ongoing disruption at the Royal Oldham Hospital. This was an isolated incident and a 31-year-old male has been arrested as enquiries continue.
"Anyone who has any details or information regarding this incident that may help police is asked to call 101 quoting log number 2367 of the 30/08/22." No further details have been revealed.
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