A suspect is detained by armed police after shootings at a cinema, newsagent and house in Liverpool.
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A man has been arrested after shots were fired at a cinema, a newsagent and a house in Liverpool.
The Showcase Cinema in Croxteth was put on lockdown on Wednesday night when a man threatened staff in the foyer before shooting outside, police said.
One witness said he was “terrified” to see armed officers and was kept inside for 45 minutes. No-one was hurt.
A 49-year-old man was arrested at at about 04:46 GMT in Fazakerley after a Taser was used.
He was detained on suspicion of possession of a Section 1 firearm with intent to endanger life and robbery.
He was taken to a police station on Merseyside where he remains in custody.
People watching films inside were only aware of the incident as they left the cinema on Stonedale Retail Park.
Craig Moorhead from Walton, who had taken his 14-year-old daughter and her friend to watch Wonka, said he was “shocked” and “terrified” when he realised armed police were entering the cinema.
“As we came out we heard all these sirens and the armed response units said we all had to go back inside,” he said.
Mr Moorhead told BBC Radio Merseyside he was nervous as they were kept inside for 45 minutes.
After an agonising wait, he said when they were allowed to leave they were escorted by police back to their cars.
“I was terrified for the kids – the young girl on the desk was in shock as she saw the guy firing the gun outside,” he said.
Merseyside Police declared a major incident and armed officers were scrambled to the cinema at about 20:50, when it was reported that a gunman had entered the venue.
He was reported to have threatened two members of staff in the foyer and fired shots into the air outside before escaping in a car.
About 50 minutes earlier, a gun was fired at the News and Booze store, approximately a mile away, on Lower House Lane in Norris Green.
It was reported a man had entered the shop, which is known locally as Sangha’s newsagents, threatened a shop assistant and demanded cash before firing a gun and leaving empty-handed.
The worker was not injured but was left extremely distressed, police said.
At about 22:20, there were further reports that gunshots were heard at a property on Malpas Road.
Assistant Chief Constable Jenn Wilson said: “The shocking and distressing impact these incidents will have had on the shop assistant, the staff at the Showcase Cinema and those filmgoers who found themselves in a lockdown situation in the complex after shots were fired outside the cinema, and the residents of Malpas Road, cannot be underestimated.”
She said three separate shootings in close proximity and quick succession were “extremely rare”.
A large police presence at Stonedale Retail Park remains with the car park sealed off and all shops within the area closed while officers continue investigations.
Ms Wilson said: “Officers were on the ground immediately following the first incident and were able to respond swiftly to the subsequent discharges, and a male was identified, located and arrested on suspicion of all three discharges within 13 hours.
“Firearms have no place on our streets and we are committed to arresting those involved in gun crime and taking firearms off our streets.”
