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Armed siege ends in Oldham after gunman takes woman and two children hostage | |
(about 20 hours later) | |
A 30-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of making threats to kill and false imprisonment after a day-long hostage crisis at a house in Oldham. | |
More than 40 houses were evacuated in Shaw as a precaution after officers were called to reports of a man armed with a gun holding a woman and two children inside a home in the early hours of Tuesday. | |
Armed police entered the house in Pemberton Way shortly after 4.50am, removing a 27-year-old woman without injury. | |
Two children were safely outside the house, a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said. | |
Chief Superintendent John O'Hare added: "We would like to thank the local community, in particular those who have had to leave their homes, whilst we worked to resolve this situation. | |
"Thankfully the hostage situation was safely resolved and the woman was brought to safety and the man arrested." | |
Specially trained police negotiators had been at the house and in talks with the gunman. | |
Officers were called at 3.15am on Tuesday to reports the armed man had locked himself inside the house in Pemberton Way with the woman and children. | |
The children, said to be aged one and six, were later allowed to leave through a downstairs window, according to the Manchester Evening News. | The children, said to be aged one and six, were later allowed to leave through a downstairs window, according to the Manchester Evening News. |
Nearby homes were evacuated "as a precaution," police said, amid reports from neighbours that the man had "cut through a gas pipe". | Nearby homes were evacuated "as a precaution," police said, amid reports from neighbours that the man had "cut through a gas pipe". |
Chief Superintendent Neil Evans, territorial commander for Oldham, had urged residents to avoid the area as officers worked to "bring the situation to a safe resoution". | |
The road was cordoned off by police, with firefighters, paramedics, and staff from the National Grid also on the scene. | |
Engineers isolated the gas supply to between 40 and 50 nearby properties, while dozens of residents took refuge in a local pub after being evacuated from their homes. | |
Additional reporting by PA | |