Armed officers and a police helicopter have swarmed a residential area of Salford tonight. Residents say “at least 30” officers have descended near the Pendleton part of the city
Armed officers and a police chopper have descended on a Salford neighbourhood tonight.
Locals report “at least 30” police have arrived at Romney Street and Littleton Road in the Pendleton area, after multiple ambulances rushed there earlier in the evening. A cordon’s been erected on these residential streets by the River Irwell.
A police helicopter was spotted above the scene, and flight trackers show it scouring the Salford skies, as unconfirmed reports suggest this was a gunfire incident.
Manchester Evening News have been sent terrifying footage of a suspect on a bike pointing what appears to be a gun at a group. The video is filmed from a window on Romney Street.
The footage then shows the armed police arriving at the scene as the suspect laid on the ground.
One resident has told MEN: “All of them were just being loud, I started recording to send it to my landlord which is the exact moment couple of boys started running.
“And then a guy on a bike with a lot of lights pulled out a handheld gun and he didn’t let it off, he just pulled it and aimed it.”
It is understood that residents have been evacuated amid the police operation. On Facebook, the community is buzzing with worry. One resident posted: “What’s going on with all the helicopters and the police in the area? Is everyone okay?”
Another chimed in with: “Helicopter flying over for a bit now.”
And a third added: “Loads of police at the petrol garage.”
Eyewitnesses say they were told to “evacuate the area” as several streets got taped off tonight. One bystander shared: “We got told by a member of the public someone was seriously hurt and everybody had to evacuate the area.”
Forensics have now arrived at the scene and will be conducting investigations into the incident.
A blaze erupted near the Buile Hill area, which only last week saw a fire causing massive smoke clouds to soar into the sky. Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) has confirmed that on April 8, engines rushed to Duchy Road.
Smoke was spotted billowing from Salford and even Whitefield, located in Bury, Greater Manchester. A GMFRS rep reported: “At shortly before 1.50pm on Tuesday two fire engines from Agecroft, Broughton and Salford fire stations were called to a fire involving a large pile of tyres off Duchy Road, Salford. Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus are using jets to tackle the fire. Crews remain in attendance.”