Eyewitness describes seeing man wielding sword in Hexthorpe

An eyewitness has described the terrifying moment armed police swooped on her Doncaster street after a man was seen wielding a sword.
Police incident HexthorpePolice incident Hexthorpe
Police incident Hexthorpe

Officers were called to Spansyke Street in Hexthorpe yesterday morning after reports a man was seen waving a sword following an argument with another resident.

Carrie Samuel, who lives on the street, said: “I was making my bed and heard two men outside arguing. I saw one hit the other round the head with a golf club and then the other went into his house.

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“When he came out he was holding a sword, about a metre long. He had one shoe on and was shouting and waving the sword about like he was crazed. The next thing I knew armed police were on the street and he ran back into his house.”

Miss Samuel, who recently moved back to the area, said a riot van, four police cars and around seven armed police officers descended on the street, which was closed off from 8.40am until around 9.30am when police arrested a man.

Miss Samuel added: “Everyone was looking out of their window and I came outside and the police told me to go back in, the street was closed off.

“It is shocking but in a way it’s not a surprise in Hexthorpe at the minute.”

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Miss Samuel lived on the street between 2007 and 2010 but recently moved back to carry out renovation work on her property.

She added: “It was OK before when I was here, it was the same people who had lived on the street for years but now a lot of people have rented their homes out and it’s a lot more rowdy.

“It does make me nervous when things like this happen and I am a lot more cautious now.

“People might say the police should do more to improve things but there’s only so much they can do, people need to start taking responsibility for their own actions.”

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Police confirmed a 29-year-old man had been arrested on suspicion of possessing an offensive weapon and a public order offence.

The spokesman added: “Officers were called at around 8.40am yesterday morning to reports a man was in Spansyke Street with a bladed weapon.”

Shocked residents took to social media following the incident.

Helen Elizabeth Nichols posted: “Hexthorpe used to be a lovely little village! Ruined a great community & I feel for the people who have lived there all their lives & had all the events of the last couple of years inflicted on them. Very sad.”

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The village has been blighted by racial tensions, violence and anti-social behaviour over the last few years. The ongoing issues led to the introduction of a public spaces protection order last summer.

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