Three businessmen from Manchester are seeking answers from Kent police after their taxi was stopped and they were arrested by heavily armed masked officers before being held in cells for hours and then released at 4am without explanation.
Joe Taylor, 32, said he and his two colleagues were “petrified” by the chain of events, which took place when they were visiting the south-east on a work trip.
Speaking to the Guardian, Taylor said that more than a dozen police, some carrying assault rifles and wearing masks, surrounded them after their taxi was stopped on the A2 shortly after they left their hotel in Northfleet. They were on their way to eat at the Bluewater shopping centre after a day viewing potential worksites.
Taylor, who runs his family’s Lancashire-based lighting firm, said he was on the phone to his family at the time and was told by police: “If you don’t put that fucking phone down I’ll blow your head off.”
He said he and his colleagues were taken from the taxi and made to lie on the ground with guns to their heads, and were then held in a police station before being released at 4am without any charges or explanation.
Kent police confirmed that the car stop happened and that the men were arrested on suspicion of firearms offences but subsequently released.
Taylor said he and his colleagues were still coming to terms with what had happened to them on Tuesday and had not subsequently had an explanation from the force.
“We are three lads who have never been in trouble at all,” said Taylor.
“You just don’t know how to act in a situation like this. You are kind of naive, thinking at the time that it’s all going to get sorted out in a few minutes, but then it’s not. We were almost like [in] a state of shock really. It was a bit of a blur and we were on the floors in handcuffs, machine guns at our heads and being escorted off.”
Taylor said he had spent all Wednesday on the phone to Kent police trying to get an explanation and that he was still stranded because his car remained impounded.
“We don’t even know if it’s a member of the public or a CCTV operative who has seen something that they have misconstrued as a gun. They told us they would not be able to answer any questions until we were interviewed. But then we were given nothing, with no one accepting responsibility. We were just let out the back door of a Kent police station without an answer.”
A spokeswoman for Kent police confirmed on Thursday that armed officers had stopped a vehicle shortly after 6pm on Tuesday on the London-bound carriageway of the A2.
“The vehicle was stopped to make urgent inquiries in connection with a serious investigation on behalf of Essex police,” she added. “Three men were arrested on suspicion of firearms offences and were arrested at the scene.
“Armed officers making enquiries of subjects expect them to comply with instructions. Officers follow the national authorised professional practice, which define standards and tactics necessary to maintain the safety of the public, the individuals themselves and the officers.
“No complaint has been received by Kent Police. Anyone wishing to make a complaint is encouraged to contact the relevant force to do so.”
The force also said that there was no risk to the wider public.
