Roof tiles were thrown during the incident in Brighton (Picture: UKNIP)
Four people have been arrested after a kidnapping incident in Brighton on Tuesday night.
The 27-year-old victim was freed by police in the dramatic incident, which also saw roof tiles chucked towards police, damaging several vehicles.
Armed officers descended on the scene in Ditchling Road shortly after 6pm – having eventually located the hostage a day after the situation was reported.
They used loud ‘distraction devices’ mistaken for gunshots before managing to get the male victim to safety.
A 20-year-old man of no fixed address and an 18-year-old man from Midhurst were then arrested on suspicion of kidnap.
Grainy pictures show police on the scene including counter terrorist specialist firearms officers (CTSFOs) as the drama unfolded.
Sussex Police say a third suspect ran from the property onto a roof in nearby Vere Road.
Then a number of cars below were damaged after roof tiles were lobbed down.
One suspect managed to get on a roof before roof tiles were lobbed down (Picture: UKNIP)
Police, including counter terrorist specialist firearms officers (CTSFOs), were on the scene and some fired ‘distraction devices’ (Picture: UKNIP)
A specialist negotiator was called and the 25-year-old, of no fixed address, was also arrested on suspicion of kidnap.
A fourth suspect – a 27-year-old man of no fixed address – was arrested at the address on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs.
All four remain suspects are still in custody.
Brighton Command superintendent Adele Tucknott said: ‘After receiving a report of a kidnap, our priority was to safely recover the victim and detain any suspects.
‘This involved a number of covert and overt tactics, including distraction devices.
The victim was taken to a safe location (Picture: UKNIP)
Four people were arrested, three on suspicion of kidnap (Picture: UKNIP)
‘This will have resulted in a loud noise which we appreciate may have caused alarm to anyone in the area; no firearms were discharged.’
She continued: ‘This is an ongoing investigation and I would urge anyone with any information about the incident to report it online or call 101, quoting Operation Bloomfield.
‘I’d also like to thank the public for their patience and understanding while we dealt with the incident. The public can expect to see a heightened police presence in the area in the meantime.
‘We are treating this as an isolated incident with no threat to the wider community.’
A section of Ditchling Road which was temporarily closed was reopened later that evening.
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Roof tiles thrown and ‘distraction devices’ fired during the incident.