A 40-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after he fired a crossbow at police officers and brandished a sword in Co Down.
The incident in the Moorfield Court area of Kilkeel at around 9pm yesterday evening.
Police say members of the public reported that a man wearing a balaclava was armed with a crossbow and was in the street threatening residents.
When the PSNI arrived there was a four-hour stand-off with the man who had entered a nearby house.
In a statement, the PSNI said "local police and specialist Armed Response crews were subject to sustained attack from within the property, including being threatened with a large sword and targeted with crossbow bolts which narrowly missed responding officers".
Officers discharged plastic baton rounds during the incident.
The man was later removed from the house and arrested.
District Commander Superintendent Lynne Corbett said: "The officers who responded to this incident, both local uniform crews and specialist resources, should be commended for the bravery and professionalism shown in what must have been a frightening situation. The ability to hold your nerve, remain calm and prioritise the safety of not only the public but also the suspect, in the face of continuous potentially life-threatening attack, is something that should not be underestimated.
"I would also like to express my thanks to local residents for the co-operation shown whilst we worked to bring the situation to a safe conclusion, and I am appealing to anyone in the local area with information that could assist the police investigation to please get in touch with us", she said.
