Armed police swarmed a street in Bristol and a nearby school was locked down after a report of a man seen with a bladed weapon. No weapon was found.
Incident on Queen Ann Road
According to BristolLive, officers rushed to Queen Ann Road in the Barton Hill area of Bristol on Thursday afternoon after the sighting was reported to police. Avon and Somerset Police said it received the report at 2.23pm, with armed officers deployed as a precaution and searches carried out across the surrounding area.
A nearby school was asked to keep pupils on its grounds while the police operation was underway, before they were later allowed to leave. Police were also seen in nearby Jarvis Street, while a police drone was deployed during the searches.
Police statement
Avon and Somerset Police said in a statement: "At 2.23pm we received a report of a man seen with a bladed weapon behind a disused building in Queen Ann Road. As a precaution, armed officers were deployed and have carried out searches in the surrounding area, however no weapon has been found. While searches were ongoing, a nearby school was asked to briefly keep its pupils on the school grounds, but they have since been released."
Barton Hill Academy was the school affected, with the precautionary measure lasting only briefly.
Aftermath and reopening
Police remained in the area following the searches, while Queen Ann Road later reopened. Some officers remained at the scene after the road reopened shortly after 5pm. The police drone was back on the ground by around 5.17pm and armed officers had left the scene.
