Man arrested and firearm seized after armed incident in St Leonards

Police received multiple reports of shots being fired towards a vehicle in Theaklen Drive around 7.10pm.

Shortly afterwards, a report was received of a man in possession of a firearm at Churchill Court in nearby Stonehouse Drive.

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

Sussex Police said that no injuries were reported.

A man has since been arrested in connection with the incident and a firearm has been seized. He remains in police custody at this stage.

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.”