ARMED police swooped on a York street during a dramatic dawn raid.

Stunned residents watched as gun-wielding officers with a search warrant shut Gillygate to traffic for an hour.

Witnesses said the early morning swoop involved an armed response unit, up to six police cars, and officers with dogs.

Police today confirmed two men were arrested after the incident in which officers were searching for stolen goods in connection with a burglary in the area.

They said the armed response was part of a series of raids across the city on Monday morning.

One Gillygate shopkeeper told the Evening Press: "I heard loud banging on a door followed by a one-off police siren.

"I looked through my lounge window and saw three police vehicles and an armed response team. Further up there were another two or three police cars.

"The armed officers were aiming for about 30 minutes, but no shots were fired. It was pretty heavy stuff.

"They closed the road off for about an hour. It was sealed off from one set of traffic lights to the other.

"It was not the kind of thing you expect on a Monday morning - it was like something from a film."

A North Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: "York Police executed search warrants at three addresses across the city on Monday.

"As part of this operation, a number of police resources, including armed officers, were deployed to an address in Gillygate, although no search was carried out.

"Two men were arrested and later released on police bail pending further inquiries."

The spokeswoman declined to comment further on the Gillygate incident.

The Evening Press understands the raid was not linked with drugs.

The decision to use armed police was taken on public safety grounds, said a police spokesperson.

Updated: 10:51 Wednesday, June 02, 2004