Watch the moment a brave off-duty special constable disarms a gunman in coffee shop in Birmingham city centre

Dramatic footage shows the moment a brave special constable disarmed a gunman in a coffee shop moments after shots were fired in Birmingham city centre.

Abdullah Bin Imad, 22, was off-duty and about to get some food when he saw two men acting suspiciously in Dale End, on Thursday (6 July). He moved to Ngopi Indonesian café and dialled 999 to report he believed the men had a gun at which point a shot was fired from outside.

The special constable courageously ran out of the shop and tackled one of the gunman, managing to seize the firearm. Shocking CCTV shows him restraining the man and keeping the gun out of reach on the coffee shop counter until armed officers arrived minutes later.

A version of this story originally appeared on our sister website BirminghamWorld.

Two men, aged 48 and 32, were arrested for firearms offences and the gun was later established to be a blank-firing weapon. Abdullah, who is an electrical engineer, said: “I wanted the suspect off the street and as far away from the public as possible. I was worried for other people’s safety because of what - from my point of view - I believed it to be a live and viable firearm.”

Abdullah, who has been a special for four years works with the Acocks Green neighbourhood taskforce, added: “I’ve always wanted to join the police. "I love the job really. You never know what’s around the corner and I like making those fast-paced decisions when you’re on the ground and on the move.”

Detective Superintendent Jim Munro, from Birmingham Police, said: “Abdullah showed extreme bravery and didn’t waste any time putting his training to effect. He saw there was a potential threat to public safety and did the right thing by phoning for assistance.

"When the gun was fired, there’s no way he would have known that it was not a live firearm. He safely brought a suspect off the street and had the safety of the public at the forefront of his mind throughout. This is a timely reminder that our officers are never truly off duty, of the value that special constables bring to the policing family, and of the risks that they face on a daily basis.”