Man arrested and firearm seized after dozens of police and paramedics attend incident in East Sussex

A man has been arrested in connection with an armed incident in St Leonards, East Sussex, and remains in police custody at this stage.

Emergency services were called to Theaklen Drive at around 7.10pm on Tuesday night (24 January) after multiple reports of shots being fired towards a vehicle.

There was also a related incident at Churchill Court off Stonehouse Drive but there have been no reported injuries.

Armed units responded to the scenes of both incidents, assisted by specialist officers from neighbouring forces and the National Police Air Service helicopter.

Chief Inspector Jayantha Mendis-Gunasekera, of Hastings Command, said: “Due to the nature of the reports we received, it was imperative that we responded accordingly, and this included calling upon our neighbouring forces for support.

“Thankfully, no injuries were reported and we can confirm it is not being treated as a terror-related incident.

“I appreciate this will have been of significant concern to the local community, who can expect to see an increased police presence in the area in the meantime.

“There were a number of people in the area around that time and I am urging anyone who saw what happened to please come forward. You can report it online or via 101, quoting Operation Beaumont.

“I would like to commend the officers involved for their swift support, and also extend my thanks to the public for their patience and understanding as our enquiries into this fast-moving investigation continue.”