Man 'who had been refused overdraft extension' is Tasered by armed police after bursting into bank with a homemade FLAMETHROWER
- A man allegedly threatened to set himself on fire in a Barclays branch in Acle, Norfolk
- He was reportedly armed with a blowtorch and a can of petrol
- Police called at 12.20pm today and arrested the man after a Taser was fired
- Nobody was hurt in the incident
A man was Tasered and arrested by police today after he allegedly burst into a bank with a makeshift flamethrower and threatened to burn it to the ground because he was refused an overdraft.
Police were called after the man made threats in a Barclays branch in Acle, Norfolk, at 12.20pm. He is thought to have been carrying a blowtorch and a can of petrol.
Officers discharged a Taser on the man then arrested him on suspicion of making threats. He is also said to have threatened to set himself on fire, though he did not light the blowtorch at any point.
Threat response: Police were seen today outside the bank before leaving with evidence
Gathering: Policemen were seen entering the bank, then leaving again with bags of evidence. A spokesman said officers would remain at the bank this afternoon and take statements from staff.
Evidence: The policeman was carrying an evidence bag containing what appears to be a canister
A police spokesman said: 'A 60-year-old man from the Great Yarmouth area has been arrested and is currently in custody at Great Yarmouth police investigation centre where he will be questioned.'
Officers were later seen leaving the bank with bags of evidence, including what appeared to be a green petrol can.
There are thought to have been four members of staff in the bank at the time, though most of them were able to escape through the rear door.
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Jackie Clover, who runs the Clover Tea Rooms opposite the bank, said: 'We heard that he had got upset as he had been turned down for an overdraft extension. Maybe he was someone in business who had got to the end of his tether.
'Then around 90 minutes after the police first arrived, this grey-haired man was taken out and put in the back of a police car.
'When the police opened the outer door, you could see the glass inner door had been shattered and had cracks all over it like a broken windscreen.
It is unclear under what exact circumstances the man had a Taser used on him.
But guidance released last year by the Association of Chief Police Officers said that Tasers should only be used to combat 'violence or threats of violence of such severity that they would need to use force to protect the public, themselves or the subject.
Emergency: Police were called to the Barclays in Acle, Norfolk, this afternoon to reports of a man making threats
Small town: The bank is located on one of the main streets in Acle, near a pub and a butcher's shop
Collecting: This policeman carried out bags of evidence, which appeared to include a pair of scissors and a container with a chemical warning symbol
Graham Long, a butcher who works nearby, said: 'I was told that he went in the bank with a blowtorch and a can of petrol.
'The first I knew about it was when loads of police cars turned up. I heard he had threatened to set fire to himself.
'I don’t know if he was a customer, but when the police brought him out, he looked like a bit of a vagrant. His trousers were all ripped.'
Inspector Chris Brooks of Norfolk Police said: 'We were called to the scene at lunchtime after a man entered the building and threats were made to staff.
'A Taser was discharged and the man has been arrested and is currently at Great Yarmouth Police Investigation Centre where he will be questioned about the incident.'
Location: The incident took place in Acle, a small market town in Norfolk
Staff remain at the bank and are giving statements to police. Three police cars have stayed at the bank after the incident, in which nobody was hurt.
A Barclays spokesman said: 'There are no reports of staff being injured, but it was a shock for them.
'We will be supporting them through the effects of this incident. I am not going to issue any statement as it is subject to a police investigation.'
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