A man who threw tiles and bricks at police officers and was found with a firearm during a five-hour rooftop standoff in Scunthorpe has been jailed.
Kyle Ferguson, 30, of Lambourne Rise, Scunthorpe, admitted to possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life and possession of a prohibited weapon and was sentenced to nine years and ten months in prison after appearing at Grimsby Crown Court.
At approximately 7pm on May 30, police received information that a wanted man was at an address in Coventry Close, Scunthorpe. Upon their arrival, officers identified the man as Kyle Ferguson, who was sought for breaching his court bail conditions.
In a bid to escape the police, Ferguson fled the property on foot and subsequently scaled a nearby roof, refusing to come down.
For public safety, a police cordon was put in place after Ferguson started hurling abuse at officers and threatening to harm them by tossing bricks and rocks down towards them, narrowly avoiding causing injury.
Officers positioned a ladder against one of the buildings in an attempt to reach Ferguson, but he persistently pushed it away to prevent officers from getting to him.
Negotiators were called in, and while trying to coax Ferguson down, a heavy object was heard sliding down the tiles which landed on a plastic storage box near another officer. Officers then discovered it was a black short-barrelled weapon, later confirmed as a viable firearm with ammunition ready to fire.
The firearm, along with a black balaclava, was subsequently confiscated.
After several hours and the involvement of 27 police officers, Ferguson finally came down from the roof. However, his aggressive behaviour persisted, and he continued to threaten to bite and eat the officers before eventually being arrested.
Humberside Police Detective Constable Scott Belton from Scunthorpe’s Criminal Investigation Department, who led the investigation, said: “Ferguson’s intentions that day were to cause as much disruption as possible, and he is a selfish man who had no regard for the local community, the damage caused to the property, and wider members of the public who would have been affected in some way by his careless actions.
“Thankfully, no police officers were injured because of Ferguson’s mindless behaviour, but five hours of police time was taken away from other members of the public who could have been in serious harm or needing emergency assistance whilst Ferguson was causing mayhem for no other reason than to evade arrest for as long as he could.
“To then discover that Ferguson was also in possession of a loaded firearm, I am pleased to have removed one from our streets before it was used to fatally or seriously injure someone. Crimes of this nature will not be tolerated, and we are absolutely determined to tackle gun crime with dedicated teams to support and take swift action against those responsible for serious offences.
“We will always do everything we can to protect our communities and hold people like Ferguson accountable for their actions.”
Original artice: https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/all-about/scunthorpe
