Armed Police Swarm Southsea After Man with Rifle Sighting
Armed officers raced to Southsea on Sunday night after reports of a man in camouflage carrying a rifle near the Rose Gardens and Canoe Lakes.
Locals Warned, Families Flee
From just after 8pm, social media lit up with sightings of the suspicious figure. One woman shared her narrow escape while out walking.
“We left about 40 minutes ago. An older man told us he’d seen a man with a gun heading into the Japanese Garden next to the Rose Gardens and that police were alerted. We got out quick,” she said.
Other passersby also warned her group on their way to their cars. Several families with kids hurriedly left the area as police cars started rolling in.
Standoff Ends with Man Hospitalised
Shortly after, a man in camouflage was found on the floor near the local Coop supermarket. Armed officers quickly surrounded him before he was loaded into an ambulance.
Hampshire Police have been contacted for comment on the incident.
