Police use Taser to subdue suspected armed intruder in Lisburn

A 38-year-old man was taken to hospital in police custody and the Police Ombudsman was informed of the incident.

At two o’clock this morning officers responded after a woman called to report an intruder at a house in the Tirowen area, where they discovered a man “in a distressed and agitated state” inside the property.

“This man was suspected to be armed with a knife,” said Chief Inspector John Wilson.

“The officers’ priority was to ensure the occupants inside were safe and any offenders were identified and detained as quickly and as safely as possible.

“The intruder shattered windows in the house before moving to a neighbouring house which was unoccupied. At one point a chair was thrown through a window.

“Local officers sought the assistance of a specially trained PSNI Armed Response Unit while negotiating with the male.

Officers from this unit entered the house and disarmed the man. A PSNI Taser was used in the incident.”

The chief inspector hailed the officers’ response “another example of Lisburn and Castlereagh City police working effectively, using all available resources to keep people safe while identifying and detaining alleged offenders”.

He added: “ We would appeal for anyone who was in the Tirowen area at 2am and saw or heard anything suspicious prior to this incident to contact police on 101.

“As is normal procedure when a PSNI Taser unit is discharged, the Office of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has been informed.”