Police with tasers and riot shields had to be called by Ilford fire brigade after they were threatened by a man in his 80s waving a meat cleaver at them.
The crew from Ilford Fire Station, High Road, Ilford were called to the house in Dersingham Avenue, Manor Park at about 1.30pm today to a carbon monoxide alarm going off.
When the arrived at the house, the man refused to open the door and started swearing at the firefighters.
A firefighter from Ilford Fire Station, said: “The guy refused to open the door. We explained why we were there and he continued swearing.”
A second firefighter then tried to reason with the man through the door.
“The man opened the door and had a dirty big meat cleaver and was waving it around,” he said.
The son of the man then arrived home and gave the door keys to police who were also on the scene.
The firefighter said: “There was a standoff with him waving the meat cleaver through the window and then the police went in with tasers and shields all fully armed up.”
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here