David Clarke, 53, (pictured) is being questioned on suspicion of making threats to kill
A 53-year-old man held after an armed siege at a bowling alley is a former bus driver and member of the Outlaw motorbike gang.
David Clarke, whose former partner Alison Neale worked at the centre, was being questioned on suspicion of making threats to kill, it is understood.
It is thought Miss Neale was not on duty when a man walked into the MFA Bowl at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton in Warwickshire on Sunday, carrying a shotgun.
Two staff members of staff, aged 24 and 17, were held hostage for more than four hours after the man shouted ‘game over’ and ordered customers outside.
Police used flash bangs – which create a loud noise and bright light – to create a distraction and arrest the intruder.
Clarke, of Nuneaton, is a father of three. It is understood he has been in a relationship with Miss Neale, 44, for seven years.
It comes after dashcam footage captured a man holding aloft a sawn-off shotgun as he entered the busy MFA Bowl at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, which was filled with children on Sunday.
The video was taken by David Fletcher, 41, who was arriving at the bowling alley with his son.
The software engineer said: ‘As I passed, I noticed people looking in the direction of the man in the video on their phone.
‘I then parked up and got out the car with my son and spoke to people outside who said a man has walked in with a shotgun.
Dashcam footage appeared to show a man walking into the bowling alley holding a long object in his left hand
Video footage appears to show one of the staff members who was being held at gunpoint in Nuneaton
‘There was panic around. People were saying the man had been shouting.’
It comes after video footage appeared to show the man, who is white and in his 40s, revealing one of the hostages after he allegedly stormed the bowling alley.
Around 30 armed police officers attended the scene and all of the roads around the popular leisure park were closed off.
Police said the incident was ‘unconnected to any terrorist activity’ and they were heard using stun grenades to end the siege.
A Warwickshire Police spokesman later confirmed they made an arrest on Sunday evening and the man was taken to hospital.
Meanwhile, family members and colleagues have revealed that one of the people held hostage was 17-year-old Will Barlow, who was working at the time.
Dominic Barlow, 29, said: ‘My 17-year-old cousin Will was kept hostage by the gunman.
‘I could hear everything going on outside of my house and I knew what was going on, but I had no idea that the hostage was a relative of mine.
A car was removed from Bermuda Park in Nuneaton where a gunman was allegedly holding two bowling alley members of staff hostage
Armed police rushed to the scene after receiving reports of a man with a sawn-off shotgun
Around 30 armed police officers have been spotted at the scene at MFA Bowl at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton
‘I got a phone call from Will’s sister, Holly, telling me that Will had been kept hostage. I believe that her father found out beforehand.
‘They live one mile the other side of the bowling alley and when they found out what happened Holly tried to call the bowling alley to make sure her brother was OK.
‘When her calls didn’t go through panic started to set in for her, so she called her father who had more information for her.
‘As soon as I found out I stopped in my tracks, I felt sick to my stomach immediately.
‘The last that I’ve heard is that he’s very shook up and that he’s been released and is with a paramedic now to have a general check-up.
‘We have no idea why it has happened or who the gunman was.
Will Lang, duty mechanic at the bowling alley, said: ‘Will was in there at the time the gunman came it. It’s horrible for this to happen to him.
‘He’s a lovely lad and he’s only worked here a couple of months.’
Police confirmed they are still dealing with the incident today and added it is not terror related
Armed police (pictured) had the situation under control later on Sunday and stood down
The two male hostages were ‘uninjured’ after being assessed, the West Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed.
The chief executive of MFA Bowl, Mehdi Amshar, said that two of his staff were being held hostage by a man armed with a gun.
Mr Amshar told Sky News: ‘We understand that there is a gunman in the place and he is holding two of our staff as hostage.’
He added that he had been informed the pair were being held at gunpoint at the Nuneaton branch.
Mr Amshar suggested the gunman might be the ex-boyfriend or former husband of one of the staff members but this has not been confirmed.
He said: ‘We believe from what my manageress tells me that he is an ex-husband or a boyfriend of a member of staff,’ he told the broadcaster.
‘That is what I know, I can’t confirm that for definite.
The area was closed off and people were eventually evacuated from the building in Nuneaton
Police remain on the scene as a man armed with a shotgun continues to hold two staff members hostage
Around 30 armed police officers have been spotted outside MFA Bowl at Bermuda Park in Nuneaton, Warwickshire this afternoon
Armed police (left) were seen arriving on the scene before entering the alley in Nuneaton (right)
‘All our staff, the rest of our staff, are safe and they made sure that all the customers have left the premises so everybody is in safety, with the exception of the two people who are, we know that are missing and we assume that they are the two that are still inside the premises because the manageress has done the check but those two people are not accounted for.’
Eyewitness Alex Moore-Holland said the gunman started shouting ‘game over’ while he was holding the sawn-off shotgun.
He told Sky News: ‘I turned around and there was a white guy, with a grey-ish beard and he had a gun above his head.
‘He was shouting ‘game over, game over’ and people were screaming. I just ran and got out there.’
A Warwickshire Police spokesman said: ‘At 2.30pm this afternoon, Warwickshire Police received reports of a man with a firearm in Nuneaton.
‘Specialist firearms officers and police negotiators, along with fire, ambulance and police air services, attended the location at the bowling alley in St David’s Way, Bermuda Park. A man has been arrested and is in police custody.
‘Members of public at the bowling alley and neighbouring properties were evacuated to safety and nobody was injured during the incident.’
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