Armed incident in St Leonards: ‘Component parts of a firearm’ sent for forensic assessment after police remove ‘blank rounds’ from the scene

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.

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.

Detective Superintendent Till Sanderson said: “Nobody was hurt or harmed in the incident and this remains a fast-moving investigation as we seek to further understand what happened and who was involved.

“Today, a number of bullets have been recovered from the scene and these have been confirmed as blank rounds. Component parts of a firearm were also found in the area and are being forensically assessed.

“Reports also indicate that a number of people were involved throughout the incident and therefore a Section 60 order remains in place for the Hollington area of St Leonards on Wednesday night. This provides officers with the power to conduct stop searches on anyone in this area and we appreciate the support of the public as we carry out these searches this evening.

“We ask the public to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity to Sussex Police online, ring 101 or speak to one of our officers in the area. Always calling 999 in an emergency.

“If you have any information about the incident itself, please contact Sussex Police quoting Operation Beaumont or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.”