THIS is the chilling moment a man appearing to wield an armoury of weapons can be seen striding down the street before two women, 19 & 31, were injured in broad daylight.
Armed officers raced to Otley Road in Headingley, Leeds, shortly before 3pm on Saturday, after reports of a man carrying weapons.
Witnesses described seeing “a man with a crossbow” while cops arrived to find three people injured.
All three were rushed to hospital – and the man, who has since been confirmed as the “key suspect,” remains in a critical condition.
Chilling footage from the area shows a figure dressed in dark clothing appearing to carry several weapons on his front and back.
The man can be seen striding at pace, before quickly darting around to expose a large object strapped around his back.
Counter Terrorism Policing North East have since taken over the investigation to “explore any potential motivation”.
In an update on Sunday, the force said: “West Yorkshire Police were called to Otley Road, Leeds at 14:47 to reports of an ongoing serious incident involving a man seen with weapons.
“Officers attended and located three people who had suffered injuries, two of which were women, aged 19 and 31. They were taken to hospital for treatment.
“The third, a 38-year-old man was arrested and taken to hospital due to a self-inflicted injury. We can confirm this man is the key suspect, and he remains in hospital in a critical condition.”
Cops added that one of the victims was left needing surgery after suffering life-threatening injuries whilst the other has been discharged.
It comes after West Yorkshire Police declared a major incident after the attack on Saturday afternoon.
Otley Road is famed for the Otley Run– one of the most famous bar crawls in the UK – and the popular Leeds pub crawl would have been packed with punters enjoying drinks on Saturday afternoon.
Local Bethany Connelly said that a man with a crossbow was seen in the area.
She said: “I was at work at a nearby restaurant and some girls were sitting outside.
“They asked if they could come in and finish what they were having because they’d seen someone with a crossbow.
“This was all before the incident, and a few minutes later, we saw ambulances and police rushing down the roads.
“The roads were getting blocked off, and we’d been told by police to keep everyone indoors and away from the area.”
More than 15 pubs are on the route and it is attempted by groups of students and residents, as well as stag and hen dos, often in fancy dress.
A spokesperson for Woodies Pub, near to where the attack took place, said: “The road has been closed off from the crossroads to St Chad’s Drive.
“The road is also off limits for pedestrians, and they are having to walk through Becketts Park.”
Another venue on the Otley Run, Taylor’s Sports Bar and Grill, posted on Facebook on Saturday evening to say it would be closed until further notice “due to unforeseen circumstances”.
Headingley and Hyde Park Ward Councillor Tim Goodall told the PA news agency on Sunday: “Residents are shocked, I’m obviously really feeling for anyone that was directly affected by it.
“When I was there yesterday evening it was quite a subdued atmosphere but people just wanted to stop and chat a bit today.
“Obviously it’s a shocking thing and people are just taking their time to talk and just chat with neighbours and local residents, reassure each other.
“You get the sense that people are stopping for chats in the street more than they normally would”.
A statement from Counter Terrorism Policing North East on Saturday, read: “Officers attended and located three people who had suffered injuries, two of which were women and were taken to hospital for treatment.
“Two weapons have been recovered from the scene, which were a crossbow and a firearm.”
The statement continued: “Due to the circumstances surrounding the incident, Counter Terrorism Policing North East have taken responsibility for leading the investigation with the support of West Yorkshire Police.
“Extensive enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances and explore any potential motivation.”
A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: “Police were called to Otley Road, Leeds at 2.47pm today to reports of an ongoing serious incident involving a man seen with weapons.
“Officers attended and located three people who had suffered injuries which are at this time not being treated as life-threatening.
“A male suspect was located and detained.
“Inquiries are in their initial stages to determine the wider circumstances of what has taken place and further updates will follow.
“A number of police scenes remain in place and ensuring public safety remains our priority.”
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said her thoughts were with the victims of the incident in Leeds, adding she was being updated on the situation.
In a statement, she said: “I am being kept updated on the serious violent incident in Leeds this afternoon.
“Thank you to the police and emergency services for their swift response.
“My thoughts are with the victims and all those affected by this attack.”
