Chatham Suspect Arrested After Firing Shots From Balcony

A man with unidentified weapons has started shooting randomly in various directions while standing on a balcony in Chatham, Kent, the BBC reported.

An armed man was arrested after firing shots from his balcony, Kent Police said in a statement.

"The police helicopter was also deployed and a man in his 30s has now been arrested on suspicion of firearms offences", the statement said.

Kent Police earlier said they had closed the roads near the Dockside Outlet Shopping Centre in Chatham after arriving on site where shots were being fired in Dock Head Road, the BBC reported, adding that armed police have been deployed to the scene.

Videos and photos of the incident have emerged on social media platforms.

#BREAKING: Armed police responding to incident at Dockside in Chatham, Kent - BBC/KMTV

pic.twitter.com/HvWaRAbkBc

— I.E.N. (@BreakingIEN) April 22, 2020

BREAKING: Armed police are at the Dockside Outlet Shopping Centre in #Chatham - there are reports of a man with a gun. More as we get it @KMTV_Kent pic.twitter.com/IkzWePEsyH

— Louisa Britton (@BrittonLouisa) April 22, 2020

The incident comes amid a lockdown in the UK due to the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak.

As of 21 April, the UK Department of Health and Social Care reported more than 129,000 cases of COVID-19 since the start of the outbreak, up 4,301 over the preceding 24 hours. The death toll stood at 17,337 after 823 more deaths were confirmed.