'They would have been traumatised': Residents speak of terror after armed police descend on Arthington Place in Hunslet
Local residents have spoken of their terror after armed police and dozens of emergency service personnel descended on Arthington Place in Hunslet overnight.
It is believed that as many as 22 emergency service vehicles, including police and ambulance crews were present at the scene.
One resident who lives on Arthington Place said he saw three men being detained by police - two in the early hours of this morning, and one at around 3pm.
He saw the property’s residents, a mother and her young children, leave the house shortly after the incident began at around 2.30am.
The eyewitness said: “It was all the shouting that initially woke us up at about 2.30am.
“Two guys came out of the house, one at a time, you could see they had the [police] gun lasers on them.
“Then the lady came out with the kids.”
The resident and his wife have been stuck inside their house since then, with officers directing him to go back inside when he tried to leave for work in the morning.
At around 3pm, the resident saw another man, who he believes was a teenager, leave the property and detained by police.
Around 10-15 armed officers then entered the property and searched the house, before they dispersed and the cordon was lifted at 1.45pm.
Joanne Rankine, 52, lives on the neighbouring street Arthington View.
She said: “I’m glad it’s all sorted before the kids come back home, they would have been traumatised. It was scary for them this morning.
“We’ve never had anything like this before, not on these streets. But when things happen on these streets everybody comes together.”
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