ARMED police who swooped on a car near York and "arrested" its occupants today were taking part in a training exercise, police have said.
Shocked motorists passing the scene on the A64 near Stockton-on-the-Forest saw officers clad in body armour ordering people out of a car at gunpoint.
A North Yorkshire Police spokesman said the incident was a routine training exercise.
A resident living near the scene told how he watched the "drama" unfold after he heard police shouting commands through a megaphone.
He said: "I heard them screaming: 'Lay down your weapons', and shouting: 'Put your hands above your head'." The man drove down to the Stockton Road flyover on the A64 and saw at least six armed officers surrounding a car on the eastbound carriageway below.
Updated: 15:57 Monday, September 23, 2002
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