Police and negotiators rescued a three-year-old from a man holding her at knifepoint in the early hours this morning.
Negotiations with the 32-year-old man, who was reported to have left a property in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, at around 4.20am with the girl and a kitchen knife, took place for a long time before police eventually managed to carry the child away to safety.
Residents said they saw the man walking down several streets screaming and threatening to hurt the young girl with a knife to her throat.
Police arrested a 32-year-old man on Mollison Avenue, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, after he was seen walking along residential streets threatening a three-year-old with a knife
Once the police were called they caught up with him and blocked off George Street and Mollison Avenue and called in negotiators who tried to get the child safely away from the scene.
After the long negotiation the officers managed to get the three-year-old away and arrested the man, who witnesses say had blood all over his neck.
He was taken to a nearby ambulance and eventually taken to hospital where he was treated for minor injuries before being taken to police custody, where he remains.
The three-year-old was also taken to hospital as a precautionary measure but was not injured during the incident.
One resident praised the police for their response to the situation but was also worried about the man involved.
They said: ‘They did a good job, the old bill, that’s for sure. They were very good at getting the child away and safe.
‘You just feel sorry for them though, especially the young girl. That memory is going to be her for quite some time.’
A George Street resident who witnessed the incident said: ‘It was around 4am when it started. He came walking down the street towards St Peter’s Avenue and had a police van cruising behind him.
‘There was a man shouting and screaming and he was threatening to stab the girl and had a knife to her throat.
‘They managed to get him down onto Mollison Avenue and block him in and they brought out a negotiator.
Officers and negotiators spoke to the man, who witnesses say had blood around his neck, and managed to get the little girl to safety before arresting him on Mollison Avenue, Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire
‘He spoke to him for ages, trying to get him to calm down and get the child away from him. I can remember the negotiator asking if he could give her his jacket to keep her warm.
‘About five minutes later, he was walking away carrying her in his arms.
‘They were mostly talking to him and calming him down after that, the priority was always the little one. But shortly afterwards they were able to arrest him and took him to one of the ambulances.’
Gordon Dawson, 84, was woken up by the incident and saw the man being taken away.
He said: ‘There were so many police out there, it was unbelievable. There were more police outside than I have ever seen in my life.
‘He was walking down the road after they got him but he was still fighting them the entire way. He had blood around his neck and was led to an ambulance.’
Another resident, who lives on Chapman Grove, said: ‘I heard some police and a man screaming his head off. When I had a look, I saw armed police running down the road after someone and heard a man screaming like he was possessed.
‘I knew it must have been serious because of how heavily armed the police were.’
A St Peter’s Avenue resident said: ‘It’s just sad that it had to involve a child.’
A spokesperson for Humberside Police said: ‘A 32-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of affray and possession of an offensive weapon following an incident on a Cleethorpes street in the early hours of Sunday.
‘Police were called at 4.18am following reports of concern for the safety of the residents of a property on Sea View Street, Cleethorpes.
‘It is reported that a man left the property with a three-year-old child while holding a kitchen knife.
‘Specialist officers, including police negotiators, were deployed to the scene to ensure the man and child’s safety as well as the safety of the wider community.
‘The incident was safely concluded on a nearby street, when the 32-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of affray and possession of an offensive weapon.
Anyone with information is asked to call the police on 101, quoting log number 81 of 3 May 2020.