Man arrested for holding woman hostage at gunpoint at Birmingham NatWest bank

A man has been arrested on suspicion of holding a woman hostage at a NatWest bank in Birmingham. West Midlands Police firearms officers surrounded the branch in Northfield and negotiators were at the scene following reports of a man with a firearm holding a staff member hostage in the interview room at the branch in Northfield.

It is understood the 60-year-old male took a gun out of a bag when he was inside the building, but did not make any demands for money.

Following a brief stand-off, the man exited the bank and was arrested by officers. No one was hurt during the incident.

He has been taken to hospital for an assessment but is expected to later be questioned on suspicion of firearms offences.

West Midlands Police Force Incident Manager, Chief Inspector Shaun Phillips, said: "Officers quickly surrounded the bank, set-up a street cordon and established phone contact with some staff members who were hiding in a back room.

"It's understood the man was with one female staff member, while other staff were lying low in another back room. No customers were caught up in the incident and no-one was hurt.

"The man's motive is unclear at this stage but it doesn't appear this was a robbery attempt. Staff did exactly the right thing in remaining calm and I'd like to praise their actions in what was undoubtedly a scary situation. Thankfully we managed to quickly bring it to an end very quickly."