Armed police arrest Chatham 'balcony gunman'

Armed police swooped on a block of flats after a man was apparently seen firing weapons from a balcony.

The alleged shooter was seen outside a flat in Dock Head Road, Chatham, at about 08:35 BST, Kent Police said.

A video posted on Twitter suggested he was seen firing shots and loud bangs could be heard.

Officers arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of firearms offences and found four suspected imitation firearms at the scene, the force said.

'Shooting randomly'

Witness Sandra Pratt, who works at the nearby Dockside Retail Outlet, told BBC Radio Kent she had heard the sound of gunshots.

"I heard a lot of shouting and what seemed like gunshot. I looked to my left and there was a guy up on the balcony with a rifle and a pistol.

"So I quickly ran into the shop and we called in any customers wandering by [who had] not realised what was going on and rung the police."

Armed officers are at the scene

Ms Pratt said the man was on a balcony of a flat on the top floor of the tower block, which she said had about 30 floors.

"He was carrying on for a good half-an-hour," she said.

"We were all in the front of the shop and you could see the pistol and a rifle and you could see the sparks coming off of it. He was just randomly shooting."

It is not known if anyone was injured.

'Terrified'

Ms Pratt said people in other flats were looking out to see what was happening and then officers went up "in all their gear".

Asked if she felt the public had been in danger, Ms Pratt said: "Yes, exactly, that's why I ran into the shop terrified."

Kent Police said they were called to "a disturbance at a flat" and armed officers were sent to the scene after members of the public reported seeing a man with weapons.

The police helicopter was also deployed and patrols remain at the scene.