Police in riot gear involved in city stand-off

Police were involved in a stand-off lasting more than five hours yesterday after a man refused to come down from a windowsill at his flat in Aberdeen.

Police were called to the city centre at around 9.30am after reports that a window had been smashed and items had been thrown into the street.

A 27-year-old man was led away from Jasmine Place by police officers at around 3pm.

Grampian Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Ambulance Service also had crews at the property during the incident.

Police evacuated residents living in nearby buildings as a precautionary measure while they attempted to coax the man down from the broken window.

He was seen sitting on the windowsill, with his legs over the edge, and a broken music system was lying on the street below him.

A resident living nearby, who did not want to be named, said he was woken by the noise. He said: “I heard some glass smashing out in the street, but I thought it was maybe just kids breaking some bottles.

“Then I heard shouting and I realised it was something more serious.

“I could see from my back garden that he had thrown his CD player and some speakers out of the window, and when some of the police officers tried to get closer he threatened to throw his television at them.

“It started off with just a couple of police officers, but it escalated quite quickly soon after that.”

Police confirmed that the man had been taken into custody following the incident, and that a report has been sent to the procurator fiscal about a number of alleged offences.