Boxing Day pandemonium

GARFIELD’S skate park and outdoor pool were evacuated on Boxing Day when a man barricaded himself in a Main Street shop and threatened to harm himself.
Police told the management at the Garfield Hotel to lock the doors of the pub and residents were also told to stay inside during the three-and-a-half hour siege.
Some roads in the town were closed as police tried to convince the 53-year-old Garfield man to surrender.
Police didn’t know whether the man was armed but believed he was alone. He emerged from the store just after 6pm after police persuaded him to end the siege.
Police later searched the premises for firearms. The man was arrested and taken to hospital for treatment.
Police said no charges had been laid.