Armed police called to South Shields following a ‘disturbance’ on King Street
An armed police presence was spotted in South Shields town centre over the weekend.
Armed police were called to South Shields town centre on Saturday evening (June 6) following reports of men fighting.
At around 5pm, it was reported that there had been a disturbance on King Street, with the fight taking place at the rear of a premises.
Police attended but there was no-one present and following extensive inquiries, the report was ruled to be a hoax.
A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Just before 5pm on Saturday we received a report of a disturbance on King Street in South Shields.
“It was reported that a number of men were fighting at the rear of a premises.
“Officers attended the scene and there was no-one present in the area, with the identified premises appearing to be closed for renovation work.
“Following extensive enquiries, it was deemed that the initial report was a hoax and officers later left the area.”
A witness, who did not want to be named, revealed that officers could be seen pointing their weapons at the building before the incident ended “in the blink of an eye”.
They commented: "I could see them pointing their guns at the upper floors of the building. It obviously looked like they thought there was someone inside.
"It was a bit scary to see so many police with guns, and most of them were masked.
"It all seemed to end peacefully and in the blink of an eye. They were there, then they left really quickly.
"I don't think they went into the building, they just seemed to be at the front and back, and I didn't see anyone getting led out or arrested."