St Leonards incident: 'No indication man arrested intended to cause harm', police say

The 28-year-old man was arrested yesterday (Friday, March 21), and has now been detained under the Mental Health Act while enquiries continue, Sussex Police said.

Chief Inspector James Scott has assured the public that there is ‘no indication that the man intended to cause harm either to himself of anybody else’.

“All partners are working hard to resolve the incident as swiftly as possible and allow residents to return to their homes as soon as it is safe,” Ch Insp Scott said

“We appreciate everyone’s support and on-going patience. We know this has been incredibly disruptive.

“Investigations are ongoing however, from evidence gathered so far, there is no indication that the 28-year-old man arrested intended to cause harm either to himself of anybody else.

“We cannot put an exact timeframe of when the cordon will be reduced and residents can return to their homes but we should know more late afternoon.”