Published by Robert L Senior Reporter on Tuesday 11th February 2025, at 07:00hrs
Specialist armed police officers stormed the building in the early hours of Tuesday morning
A man has been arrested following a stand-off with police 17 hours after it began in Lewisham High Street.
The Metropolitan Police Service were called shortly before 11am to reports of a disturbance. On arrival, a man armed with a knife refused to come outside and made threats.
Footage shared online showed a man armed with a knife hanging out of an upstairs window of a property situated above a row of shops. He could be heard making threats to harm himself and said he had hostages.
A large cordon was put in place around the scene whilst specialist negotiators were drafted in to negotiate with the man.
Armed police could be seen surrounding the building, pointing their guns up at the window.
The London Ambulance Service and The London Fire Brigade were also in attendance.
Local stallholders at the market had to pack up and go home with some inside the cordon being forced to leave their stall in situ.
Nearby shops where also forced to close.
Residents returning from work could not access their property with one man heard shouting, just “shoot him.” Get him down, I need to get inside my property for my medication.”
The man armed with the knife could be seen coming back and forth from the window of an apartment throughout the day. Specialist officers stormed the apartment and could be seen in footage arresting the man through a window.
The incident came to a conclusion at just before 3am.
The Metropolitan Police Service is yet to release a full statement on the incident.
In a statement released today, The Metropolitan Police Service said:
“Police were called to the location at around 10.45hrs on Monday, 10 February.
A cordon was put in place to ensure the safety of the wider public and a man who was inside a property, while officers worked closely with the London Fire Brigade and London Ambulance Service.
Officers gained entry to the property at 02:35hrs on Tuesday, 11 February and detained the man, who was alone in the address. He was taken to hospital following his arrest on suspicion of affray and threats to kill.”
Enquiries remain ongoing.
Detective Chief Superintendent Trevor Lawry, who leads policing in the South East Area, said: “I appreciate the incident in Lewisham High Street yesterday caused a lot of concern for residents and I would like to thank them for their patience.
“To clarify, this situation did not involve any hostages and our specially-trained officers engaged with a man who was believed to be suffering with a mental health crisis.”
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