LARA CROFT MODEL PROMPTS ARMED RAID
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[ May 29th 2008 ]

Computer shop owner David Williams has had the shock of his life after armed police from Greater Manchester mistook a statue of video-game icon Lara Croft standing in his living room for a gun-wielding criminal and stormed his house.

Rather than apologise for their misadventure, police then arrested Mr Williams and held him for more than 13 hours before being released. To add further insult to injury, Mr Williams is now on bail for a suspected firearms offence, and Lara Croft remains impounded as evidence.

"It would have been laughable if it hadn't been so terrifying," he told British newspaper Daily Mail. "One of the police held a gun and yelled, 'Where's the weapon, where's the weapon?' I didn't have a clue what was going on, I assumed they'd got the wrong house. I couldn't believe it when I realised they'd mistaken a Lara Croft dummy for someone with a gun."

According to the Daily Mail, a spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said officers peered inside after Mr Williams failed to answer his front door. "They believed they saw a silhouette of a person pointing what appeared to be a firearm inside the house," she said.

"They followed correct procedure by withdrawing to await armed officers," she added. "Officers then went into the house and found a mannequin holding a toy weapon."

Mr Williams will find out later this month if he faces charges for a suspected firearms offence.