Coventry siege: Police bring 5-day stand-off to a safe end

A five day stand-off between West Midlands Police and a man who'd barricaded himself inside a house in Coventry with his son is over safely.

The siege on Earlsdon Avenue North was brought to an end at around 8:30pm last night when armed officers forced their way into a property where a father, thought to be armed, had been with his eight year old son since Sunday.

The 41-year-old man has been detained where he'll be assessed by mental health professionals. His son, who police say is believed to have been physically unharmed, is with other family and will be getting professional support.

Supt Ronan Tyrer, of Coventry Police, said: “This has been an incredibly sensitive and challenging siege, which had a boy aged eight, at its heart.

"His safety was our main concern throughout this and so I’m sure everyone in Coventry shares in our relief that we have been able to get him safely out of the house today.

"The situation became untenable and it was decided to bring the siege to an end.

"At all times, we had to balance the risk to the boy being kept in the house, with the risk that he could be harmed if we did enter the house.

"I’d like to thank the firearms officers, negotiators, neighbourhood and other officers who have worked day and night to protect this boy, and the public."

Over the last five days a police cordon has been in place with several businesses and a school remaining closed or restricted. Officers visited locals to update them and offer support and reassurance, as well as answering any questions.

Police say they're 'Incredibly thankful for the way that the community in Earlsdon have supported us.'