Gang armed with "handgun and knife" threaten man in Redditch house (From Redditch Advertiser)

Gang armed with "handgun and knife" threaten man in Redditch house

11:58am Thursday 7th March 2013 in Local

FOUR men, armed with what appeared to be a handgun and a knife, are being hunted by police after they went into a house in Redditch, threatening the occupant and demanding money and drugs.

The men went into the house in Poplar Road, Batchley, at about 9.15pm on Thursday, March 6, through an insecure back door, and threatened the male occupant. They got away on foot and it is believed they got into a vehicle parked in the vicinity of the HDA sports and social club in Cherry Tree Walk.

Detective Inspector Leighton Harding of West Mercia Police said: “We want to reassure residents that firearms incidents are rare in West Mercia, and are treated extremely seriously.

“We also want to reassure members of the public that it appears this was not a random incident, and that the offenders and the occupant may be known to each other.

“There was a large police presence in Poplar Road and the surrounding streets overnight, and high visibility patrols will remain in the area.

“Every effort is being made to locate and arrest the offenders, all of whom had their faces covered with what are believed to be balaclavas.”

Witnesses or anyone with information, including anyone who saw the men in the Poplar Road area, walking between Poplar Road and the social club, or anyone who was in the social club from 9pm onwards, is asked to contact police on 0300 333 3000 quoting incident 516-s-060313, or to ring the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111.