Coventry police siege: what is happening as armed police stand-off continues as father holed up with young son

Dozens of armed police remained in Earlsdon, Coventry as a stand-off with a dad holed up with his 8-year-old son lasted five days.

The 41-year-old man was said to be armed with ‘weapons’ and barricaded himself into his ground floor flat on Earlsdon Avenue North.

Terrified residents largely remained in their homes as negotiations with the man continued.

On Thursday 13 January police stormed the property, ending the five-day stand off, and the 41-year-old man is now in custody.

NationalWorld has been on the scene to understand more about the current situation.

What has happened so far?

West Midlands Police were called to “conduct a safe and well check on a man and child” at the address at 12:20am on Sunday.

The man refused to come out of the property since the early hours of Sunday morning.

A cordon remained in place from Monday 10 January in the surrounding area with counter-terrorism police outside as specialist negotiators attempted to talk to the man.

The 41-year-old was believed to be armed with weapons and had his son, aged eight, with him, West Midlands Police said.

Earlsdon Avenue North remained a no-go zone between the high street and Highland Road as the specialist gun squad remain focused on the property.

The community in the area rallied around those affected by the stand-off, offering hot showers and groceries.

Business in the vicinity had to shut on Tuesday 11 January due to the cordoned off area.

Earlsdon Primary School was closed for three days running as the incident continued, as well as the Library which is located nearby.

What is the current situation?

On Thursday 13 January a video was posted on the Coventry Police Facebook Page with Supt Ronan Tyrer updating the situation. He said “specialist negotiators” have spoken with the man and son inside the house, and the force are “ensuring their welfare throughout the police operation.”

At 8:30pm on Thursday the five day stand-off came to an end as firearm officers stormed through the front door and a ground-floor window.

A 41-year-old man is now in custody where he is being assessed by mental health professionals.

West Midlands Police said: “His son, who is believed to have been physically unharmed, is with other family and will receive any necessary support from professionals for any emotional and medical requirements.”

Residents that were unable to leave their homes by police escort are now able to go about their daily lives as normal, alongside those that live nearby and local businesses.

What have residents said?

One resident who lives nearby told NationalWorld that the situation was “bizarre” as normally incidents like this do not occur around this area.

Another resident who lives on Earlsdon Avenue North spoke about her thoughts on the continued siege.

She said: “I’m a little anxious but not too much, simply because I have faith in the police that they know what they are doing. And there seems to be enough around that if anything does happen they are there to solve it straight away.”

“It does create a little bit of tension for the residents because you don’t really know what’s happening because there’s no communication of what’s taking place in real time,” she added.

The resident said she was “shocked” by the incident which was “very unexpected and sudden.”

What have the police said?

West Midlands Police said in a statement: "A cordon remains in place around a house in Earlsdon Avenue North, Coventry, where a man has been refusing to come out since the early hours of yesterday morning.

"The 41-year-old has his eight-year-old son with him and there are some concerns for their safety. Several officers, including armed police and other specially trained officers, are at the scene to bring the incident to a safe conclusion.”

They added: "Unfortunately, residents, businesses, a school and travel are severely disrupted by the cordon.

"We’re sorry for the inconvenience, but our priority is the safety of those involved."

Coventry Police Commander, Chief Supt Pete Henrick, said: "We understand this situation is deeply worrying for some local residents and we want to reassure them we are doing everything we can to bring it to a safe conclusion.

"I ask that people bear with us as specialist officers remain at the scene."

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