Armed police in siege after woman f lees gunman, 72
AN ARMED pensioner was last night barricaded inside his house and refusing to surrender as police marksmen laid siege to his home for more than 24 hours.
The man, named locally as Terry Bridger, 72, sparked a tense stand-off after reports he had a gun and was making threats.
A woman fled from the house shortly before police arrived on Sunday afternoon.
Bridger lives with his wife Dawn, 67,and is reported to have cancer.
Neighbours were warned to stay inside as a trained negotiator initially spoke to the gunman through a megaphone.
An officer later went up to the front door and gave the pensioner a phone number to call. The drama in the seaside village of Pagham, West Sussex, began around 4.10pm on Sunday.
Marksmen took up positions and a large area around the gunman’s home was cordoned off and locked down.
Neighbour Josephine Aslett, 64, said: “When I came home, there were loads of police around and they had to escort me back to the house.
“Some people weren’t allowed back to their houses at all but luckily we were just on the edge.
“A policeman said that an old boy was inside with a gun and had taken a lady hostage.
“She did manage to get out but they’re still out there now so I guess he’s still in there. It’s quite scary, really. I’ve lived here for 30 years and this is so unusual to happen on this street. It’s a lovely part of the world, right on the beach. We’ve got a zero per cent crime rate around here.”
Fellow resident Jackie Hawkins, 52, said: “There are about 10 police cars parked outside at the moment. They’ve been there all night.
“There’s not much going on. It’s quite quiet but it’s really scary having something like that.”
Neighbour Alistair Black said: “It’s quite sad really. It’s obviously something that’s just got out of hand and he must be thinking, ‘What have I done?’”
Detective Superintendent Nick Sloan, of Sussex Police, said yesterday: “The safety of the local community is our utmost priority.
“Residents have been advised to stay inside but should they wish to or need to leave their properties, we will be able to facilitate this with police support.
“Communication continues with the lone man in the house and we hope to resolve this situation as quickly and safely as possible.”