West Howe crash and firearms incident: What we know so far

The incident led to buses being diverted and the police helicopter hovering above the area for a long time.

A road was closed after a car was abandoned after a crash with a bus stop.

Read more: Latest updates after firearms incident and crash in West Howe

What happened? 

Armed police, the force helicopter, officers and paramedics were sent to the area of Moore Avenue around 7.48pm on Saturday following initial reports of a crash between two vehicles.

One of the vehicles was then involved in a crash with a bus stop, leading to a firearm being discharged during the incident.

People were seen running away from the scene on foot.

Officers attended and, following extensive enquiries, a vehicle was stopped in Ringwood Road in Poole and two men were arrested on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence. A suspected air weapon was also recovered.

Scene in Moore Avenue after the crash

'Car came flying round the corner'

One eyewitness told the Daily Echo: "The blue car came flying around the corner on Moore Avenue on the wrong side of the road.

"I flashed my lights and mounted the kerb, and it then went up on the kerb and flew through the bus stop.

"Two people with hoodies ran off. One ran back and grabbed a bag out of the car, and they then made off towards Rochester Road. Another person ran down and grabbed a mobile phone out of the car and ran off.

"Then the police turned up with armed response and paramedics."

Was anyone hurt?

No-one was injured by the firearm discharging.

However, two people were taken to hospital as a precaution due to injuries sustained from the collision. These are not believed to be serious.

Damage in Moore Avenue

Have people been arrested?

Two men were arrested on suspicion of possessing an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Which roads were closed?

Road closures were put in place in Moore Avenue as enquiries were carried out.

Buses were also diverted as a result of the police activity.

5/5a/14 will divert due to Police Activity, whilst we are unable to enter the area. all services will use the length of Kinson Road in Both directions missing all stops from Moore Ave to Kinson Road 5/5a/14 Respectively. We apologise for any inconvenience caused^KM

— morebus (@Morebusco) August 6, 2022

'It was mad'

One person who lives near the scene, said: “I heard it happen. It was mad, everyone has heard about it, I had friends texting me last night asking if I’ve been shot.

“I wasn’t really scared, I just wanted to know what happened. I knew it was really serious because the road was closed off and police were everywhere.”

What have police said?

Chief Superintendent Richard Bell, of Dorset Police, said: “We understand reports of this nature will cause concern for the local community and I would like to reassure members of the public that we deployed significant resources to the area as officers conducted extensive enquiries to identify those believed to be involved and establish what had happened.

“I would like to thank members of the community for their patience and understanding while the road closures were in place and as we investigate the incident. I would also like to thank members of the public who have already contacted us with information.

“Any witnesses or anyone with information who has not already spoken to police is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk/contact, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting incident number 6:646.”