Police officers in riot gear mounted a dramatic swoop on an Aberdeen flat last night to arrest a man in connection with a vicious assault that left two people in hospital.
The-22-year-old was taken into police custody following a major operation in the Hilton area of the city.
Witnesses reported up to 20 officers arriving at the scene in full riot gear, supported by sniffer dogs, shortly after 4pm.
Two vans, three 4×4 vehicles and two police cars were also seen arriving at the property on Back Hilton Road.
Police gathered evidence in the block until around 6.10pm when a man and a young woman were seen emerging from the building and being escorted into separate police cars.
A police spokesman was unable to confirm if the pair were also facing charges last night.
The activity followed a brutal attack in the Grampian Road area of Torry, which happened overnight on Saturday.
Two men, in their 30s, had to be taken to hospital by ambulance.
On Sunday, a police spokeswoman confirmed the force was following a positive line of inquiry.
Last night shocked neighbours in Bach Hilton Road described seeing sniffer dogs being lowered over the wall of the four-storey property and plain clothes police officers bursting through the door “like something from TV”.
One woman, who lives across the road from the block, watched the drama unfold through her window.
The resident, who did not want to be named, said: “It was really strange, I don’t think I’ve seen so many police before.
“There were about five vans altogether and a bunch of guys with their visors down and big vests on.
“They threw a police dog over the back wall and then a few of the guys went over with it.
“I’ve no idea who they could be after to call in all this.
“It was like something from TV, I’ve never seen anything like that with my own eyes before.”
Laura Watson, who has lived in the block for just three months, said the raid came as “a shock”.
She said: “My daughter was just playing away with her piano when I heard a racket outside.
“The police were banging outside but I just stayed in and kept out of the way.
“Everyone in the building seems so nice, so it does comes as a bit of a shock.”
Hilton, Woodside and Stockethill councillor, Lord Provost George Adam, said residents would have been “shocked” at the scale of the police response.
He said: “I’m sure the amount of police on the scene would have surprised and shocked many residents.
“Saying that I’m pleased the police have taken swift action in relation to this incident.
“I would encourage people with any knowledge of the original incident to get in touch with police if they haven’t already done so.”
A Police Scotland spokesman said last night: “Police Scotland can confirm that a 22-year-old man is in custody in connection with an incident in the Grampian Road area of Aberdeen that resulted in two men in their 30s being injured.
“The incident took place sometime between the evening of Saturday, July 4, and the early hours of Sunday, July 5.”
When asked about the heavy police presence yesterday, he added: “We react to different things in different ways.”