A man has been arrested after reports shots were fired at a cinema in Liverpool on Wednesday evening.
The Showcase Cinema in Croxteth was put on lockdown when a man threatened staff in the foyer before shooting at the outside of the building.
The 49-year-old man was arrested by armed officers at about 04:46 GMT in Fazakerley after a Taser was used.
Officers responded to three separate incidents involving shots being fired but no-one was injured.
The man was detained on suspicion of possession of a Section 1 firearm with intent to endanger life and robbery.
He has been taken to a police station in Merseyside where he remains in custody.
Merseyside Police declared a major incident and armed officers were scrambled to the Showcase Cinema on Stonedale Retail Park in Croxteth at about 20:50 GMT, when it was reported that a gunman had entered the venue.
He was reported to have threatened two members of staff in the foyer and fired shots into the air outside before escaping in a car.
Moviegoers were only aware of the incident as they left the cinema.
About 50 minutes earlier, a gun was fired at the News and Booze store, approximately a mile away, on Lower House Lane in Norris Green.
It was reported a man had entered the shop (known locally as Sangha's newsagents), threatened a shop assistant and demanded cash before firing a gun and leaving empty-handed.
The worker was not injured but was left extremely distressed, police said.
At about 22: 20 GMT, further reports were received that gunshots were heard at a property on Malpas Road .
Assistant Chief Constable Jenn Wilson said: "The shocking and distressing impact these incidents will have had on the shop assistant, the staff at the Showcase Cinema and those filmgoers who found themselves in a lockdown situation in the complex after shots were fired outside the cinema, and the residents of Malpas Road, cannot be underestimated.
"Thankfully incidents like this, involving a single offender in three separate shootings in close proximity and quick succession, are extremely rare, and this is the first time we have had to deal with an incident of this nature on the streets of Merseyside."
There is a large police presence at Stonedale Retail Park with the car park sealed off and all shops within the area will remain closed while officers continue investigations.
Ms Wilson said: "Officers were on the ground immediately following the first incident and were able to respond swiftly to the subsequent discharges, and a male was identified, located and arrested on suspicion of all three discharges within 13 hours.
"High-visibility patrols will remain in the area to reassure members of the local community.
"Firearms have no place on our streets and we are committed to arresting those involved in gun crime and taking firearms off our streets."
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2024-01-04 08:24:32Z
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