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Police end man's 29-hour bridge stand-off

Danielle Dwyer,Press Association
Friday 01 October 2010 07:01 BST
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A 29-hour stand-off between police and a man on a city centre bridge ended after officers "seized an opportunity to intervene".

Specialist hostage and crisis negotiators from West Midlands Police moved in late last night to deal with the man on railings above Paradise Circus in central Birmingham.

They had been at the scene since 3.45pm on Wednesday when they were alerted by members of the public.

A force spokeswoman said the man was arrested under the Public Nuisance Act and taken to a Birmingham police station.

She added: "The man was arrested when officers and negotiators from West Midlands Police seized an opportunity to intervene."

The incident caused major traffic delays on a series of major routes into and across the city.

Speaking last night Chief Inspector Sean Russell thanked commuters for their patience and described the man's position as "extremely vulnerable".

Police said the roads around the scene, which had previously been cordoned off, had reopened and traffic flow had returned to normal.

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