An air weapon suspect was arrested after being tackled to the ground and restrained by two heroes.
Adam Elliott and Paul Taylor stopped their car on Shields Road in Pelaw, Gateshead, after seeing two young girls “in distress” on the street.
The pair, who had been on their way to a job nearby, turned the vehicle round to “see if they were okay”.
They then approached the male suspect, who was standing outside a newsagents opposite the Aldi supermarket.
Adam said: “We approached the male, he was a bit agitated. I threw him on the floor and got his arm up behind his back.”
The pair restrained the man until the police arrived around five minutes later.
Adam added: “Our fear was for the two girls. In the moment we just went and did it.”
Northumbria Police say they received a report of a suspect in possession of a firearm near to the Aldi supermarket in Pelaw at 3.30pm.
Officers were immediately deployed to the area and the man in question was identified and arrested.
A force spokesperson said: "The weapon has also been seized and we can confirm it is an air weapon and not a genuine firearm.”
Witnesses said that prior to the arrest the suspect had been in Linos Fish Bar on Shields Road.
Rozh Abdullah, who works at the takeaway, said: “It was scary, one of the girls started crying.
“We called the police and about seven or eight cars arrived.”
A member of staff at the nearby newsagents said: “I was just coming to start my shift and he was on the floor.
“They said they were waiting for support to take him away.
“You get a fright when you see something like that.”
A police spokesperson added: “Enquiries into the circumstances around the incident are ongoing and anyone with information that may assist police is asked to call 101 quoting log 619 09/04/21.”
