POLICE have revealed footage of the moment a female officer was confronted by a teen gunman on a routine call to a burglary in Stourbridge.
PC Jemma Follows, armed with a taser, spotted the teenaged suspect in the hallway of the property in Park Street during a call at around 10.15pm on November 18.
Bodycam footage shows he appeared briefly and raised a gun, before turning and fleeing.
PC Follows quickly called for back-up - and then courageously enlisted help from a taxi driver to continue the hunt for the suspect and others he was with.
She then subsequently tasered a 17-year-old who had been in the house and who was found to have a knife and cannabis on him.
Two hours later - gunman Reece Lones, aged 19, was arrested in dramatic fashion by firearms officers on Stourbridge High Street in front of Saturday night revellers and he was yesterday (Tuesday January 16) jailed for 27 months after admitting possession of an imitation firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.
Superintendent Phil Dolby, who oversees the work of firearms officers, said: “This was a fantastic arrest by armed officers. They used the minimum amount of force, while using their training about using strong verbal commands to keep the suspect contained.”
The weapon found in the case turned out to be a BB gun designed to look like a 9mm semi-automatic pistol.
And in interview, Lones admitted the gun was pointed at PC Follows as he moved but said he hadn’t deliberately aimed it and had only been messing about with it.
The 17-year-old who was tasered was charged by police and given a conditional caution at court - to attend knife and drugs awareness courses.
DC David Franks, who investigated the case, praised the "fantastic police work by Pc Follows" and said: "She kept her calm throughout, and whether she was dealing with members of the public or suspects, she knew exactly what to do.”
PC Follows, who has been with the force since 2007, said: “When I saw it, I thought anything could happen. Was I about to be shot?
“It has reminded me not to be complacent. I’ve been to similar jobs since and to a degree, I did think: Is the same thing going to happen again?
“It does stick with me. It’s a reminder not to let your guard down too much because you never know what’s going to happen.”
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