People allowed home after 15-hour police stand-off with man waving a knife in London

Cordons have been lifted and residents are allowed back into their homes after a police stand-off throughout the afternoon and into the evening.

Footage posted to social media on Monday afternoon showed a shirtless man leaning out of a third-floor window brandishing what appears to be a kitchen knife.

The incident unfolded at a block of flats above a row of shops on Lewisham High Street, just metres away from the local police station.

Following reports of the incident, locals claimed there was ‘mayhem’ on the street as the area was cordoned off with ‘tons’ of ambulance, fire and armed police nearby.

The Met say there was no information to suggest anyone else was inside the property, amid rumours circulating on social media that hostages had been taken.

A nearby HSBC branch was closed as a precaution.

The Lewisham High Street portion of the A20 was closed while police spoke to the man in the flat.

All cordons had been lifted by 6am on Tuesday, allowing residents back into their homes.

The Met has since confirmed they entered the flat at about 1.55am, and a man was safely detained and taken to hospital.

Armed police first rushed to the scene shortly before 11am and have remained locked in a standoff throughout the day, which has prevented other residents from returning to their homes.

There is no information that suggests there is anyone else inside the property with him, the force added.

A doctor who works at Herbs & Acupuncture, a shop below the flat the man has been seen shouting from told Metro: ‘It started from 11am, The guy is crazy, he was just in his room, and he’s just shouting.

‘He was just shouting, shouting, shouting. There are some police, the police came with their guns, they were all dressed in black and asked if they could get up to his flat.

‘It was quite scary, I think the guy has some issues. I’m scared now, we’ve locked the door and police told us to do that.

‘We don’t know him. The shop is still open, but nobody can come through here, I hope that they can sort it soon, but the guy sounds crazy.

‘I saw two police officers before and the outside door, we have never chatted with him or with these guys.

‘We just hope that it is sorted out soon. Hopefully he is alright too. We don’t know anything about this guy.’

A woman who works in a shop close to Lewisham High Street told Metro: ‘Every shop that is nearby has been asked to leave and they have been closed off.

‘There is a lot of armed police, and it was a lot of drama, but it looks like it is a man who is in his flat above the acupuncture centre.

‘I’m not exactly sure what is going on.‘

A food retailer at Lewisham Market said the stand-off had been going on since late morning.

‘It’s a waiting game,’ she said.

‘He’s hiding himself around the corner because he knows they’re pointing guns at him,’ the woman, who did not want to be named said.

‘At first nobody knew what was going on.

‘They keep moving the police cordon back,’ she added.

The Metropolitan Police said yesterday: ‘Police were called to a disturbance on Lewisham High Street, at around 10.45am on Monday.

‘Officers are currently in attendance at the scene alongside the London Ambulance Service and the London Fire Brigade.

‘We are speaking to a man inside a residential address at the location.

‘There is no information available at this time to suggest there is anyone else inside the property.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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