POLICE in York last night gunned down a man claiming to be carrying a bomb in a rucksack.

Armed officers used rubber bullets to "disable" the 43-year-old local man after a three-hour stand-off on Ouse Bridge.

Large swathes of the city centre were evacuated during the incident, and Army bomb disposal experts later carried out a controlled explosion on the bag.

Hundreds evacuated before 'bomber' gunned down

POLICE shot a man who claimed to have a bomb in his rucksack amid dramatic scenes in York city centre last night.

Armed officers fired rubber bullets at the man, who was on Ouse Bridge, before an Army bomb disposal unit carried out a controlled explosion on the bag.

Hundreds of people were ordered to leave bars, restaurants and flats during the stand-off in a mass evacuation of the city centre.

The drama began at about 9pm, when police cleared the area within a 300-metre radius of the bridge.

What followed was a tense, three-hour stand-off between the man, who is believed to live in York, and the police, who had sealed-off either end of the bridge.

Witnesses described seeing police negotiators talking to the man to try and persuade him to give himself up, as he paced up and down the bridge.

The tension finally broke just before midnight, when armed officers opened fire.

A cracking noise could be heard and there was a flash of light - before police swooped on the man.

Officers arrested the man and dragged him from the scene. He was then taken by waiting paramedics to hospital, where he received treatment for what police described as "minor injuries".

The bomb disposal unit used a remote-controlled device to check on the bag before carrying out a controlled detonation.

At the time of going to press, it was not clear whether the rucksack contained an explosive device.

Eyewitness Paul Healey, a City of York councillor, said prior to the shooting a police negotiator approached the man on the bridge and gave him a notepad, a pen and a mobile telephone. It is understood he was also given a cup of coffee.

Coun Healey said he believed the man was English and spoke with a northern accent.

Passers-by found their way through the city centre - which was littered with police vehicles - blocked by officers who sealed off the bridge.

A bewildered woman opened her front door to see what was happening - only to find it had police tape attached to it.

As the area was evacuated some diners in riverside restaurants reported they were given their meals on the house.

A spokeswoman for North Yorkshire Police said: "Police were called at around 9pm last night by a man on the Ouse Bridge in York claiming to have an explosive device in a rucksack.

"Officers attended the scene and evacuated the area within a 300-metre radius of the bridge.

"Fire and ambulance services were also on stand-by and police negotiators were also called to the scene.

"At around 11.55pm the incident was brought to a safe conclusion when fire arms officers discharged a baton round.

"The man was then arrested and taken to York Hospital where he is receiving treatment for minor injuries sustained in the incident.

"The man arrested is a 43-year-old man believed to be living in York."

Stand-off: We spoke to witnesses of the drama

EYEWITNESSES to last-night's stand-off described the chilling moment police opened fire.

Onlooker Andrew Whitney saw police shoot the man.

He said: "They enticed the man with a cup of coffee and then shot him with a rubber bullet in the neck or the shoulder. Then they shot him again in the chest or the side.

"He went down but got back up again and they shot him again. He started to get up again. It took six policemen to take him down."

John Drewin, who saw events from the Merchant Exchange apartment building, in Bridge Street, which overlooks the bridge, said: "I had a marksman on the balcony. The police called the man across to give him a drink or something and then whacked him with a couple of bullets.

"They've just sent this robot on to the bridge and blown the rucksack up."

Lindsey Jones, 23, of Acomb, York, said she was evacuated from The Lowther pub, in Cumberland Street. She said: "I was scared.

"From what I could see there was a guy with a backpack on, then we got evacuated. It was scary."

Coun Paul Healey said: "One of the police officers asked the man for his name and date of birth. The man was shouting at the police to put their guns down."