‘Armed burglars’ are in stand-off with police after fleeing onto London home rooftops when officers tried to arrest them over ‘motorbike theft’
- Met Police approached two men at 5pm who were tampering with a motorbike
- The duo fled onto rooftops in Kingsgate Road, near Kilburn, northwest London
- A member of the public reportedly saw one of the men carrying a gun
- The duo are repotedly throwing tiles and glass at officers on street level
Armed police are in a stand-off with two suspected burglars who fled onto a rooftop when officers saw them tampering with a motorbike.
The Metropolitan Police approached the men at around 5pm this evening and have confirmed the duo fled onto the roof in Kingsgate Road, near Kilburn, northwest London.
More than a dozen police officers are currently at the scene, and the men are reportedly throwing roof tiles at police.
A member of the public reportedly saw one of the men carrying a gun, but this has not been confirmed.
An eyewitness, told MailOnline: ‘Apparently it is a suspected burglary gone wrong and when police approached them they got up on the roof and started ripping off roof tiles and throwing them at the police.
‘I saw one of the men with what looked like a knife, or could be a piece of roof tile, making stabbing motions towards the police.
‘The man walking around on the mobile phone said ‘I want to die’ and seemed completely out of it.
‘He was on the phone the entire time. I’m not sure to who.
‘The two of them somehow found some chairs from somewhere and were collecting glass and other roof tiles and ripped up a Velux window.
‘There are a lot of armed police there at the moment and a large area has been cordoned off, we were told someone might have a gun.’
A spokesman for the Met Police said: ‘At 17:11hrs on 26 March police observed two males seen tampering with a motorcycle in Mazemot Avenue, NW6.
‘They were challenged by police and fled, making their way onto the roof of a nearby building in Kingsgate Road, where they currently remain.
‘A member of the public reported seeing one of the men in possession of a firearm. This has not yet been confirmed.
‘Specialist firearms officers are in attendance as a precaution. No arrests. Cordons and road closures are in place.’