Armed officers were dispatched to a Lidl supermarket in north-west London on Monday afternoon after reports that a man had been seen with a gun inside the store, the Metropolitan Police has confirmed.
The incident, which unfolded on Ealing Road in Alperton, was reported to police at around 4.10pm on 21 April. A 62-year-old man was subsequently arrested at the scene on suspicion of possession of a firearm and possessing a firearm with intent to endanger life. He has been taken into custody.
What the Met has said about the incident
A Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed that the situation had been contained without violence. “No shots were fired and no injuries reported,” the force said.
Acknowledging the alarm the incident was likely to have caused in the surrounding area, the spokesperson added: “We understand this has caused concern for those in the local community and we will have an increased police presence in the area.”
A visible reassurance effort in Alperton
The decision to maintain a heightened policing presence in the neighbourhood follows a pattern familiar in the aftermath of firearms-related incidents in the capital, where visibility is used both to gather further information and to reassure residents and shoppers.
Inquiries into the circumstances of the incident remain ongoing.
