Two arrested after self-harm threats in rooftop stand-off
Two men were arrested following a stand-off with police which lasted for hours.
Durham Police were called to Tenth Street in Blackhall at about 4am on Saturday, as the two men who threatened to jump from the roof.
One was armed with a hammer and the pair hurled roof tiles and bricks causing damage to several cars including a police vehicle.
Durham Constabulary said officers arrived on the scene at 4.20am to find a man behaving erratically appeared to be intoxicated having climbed onto the roof from a bedroom window.
He was quickly joined by a second man and the pair began throwing tiles at officers below and making threats.
Both men were threatening to jump and police cordoned off the area while specially trained negotiators were brought in along with armed officers.
Ambulance and fire service teams also attended while the gas supply to the property was isolated.
At one stage, one of the men walked the length of the terraced street along the rooftop, still threatening to harm himself.
One man, who was brandishing a hammer, came out of the house shortly after 8am and surrendered to officers.
Shortly after 8.30am the second man was talked down from the roof by police negotiators and handed himself over to armed officers.
No one was injured during the incident, although damage was caused to several properties and cars in the street.
A 29-year-old local man and a 28-year-old man from Peterlee, were arrested on suspicion of criminal damage.