Grandfather left 'confused and bruised' by arrest after police go to wrong address
5 September 2022, 08:54 | Updated: 5 September 2022, 09:19
An 81-year-old grandfather has been left bloodied and bruised after police went to the wrong address to investigate reports of a disturbance in the early hours of Friday morning.
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Officers say they arrested the man in Potton, Bedfordshire, in the early hours of Friday morning after an "altercation" ensued when they mistakenly went to the wrong house.
He was arrested after two uniformed officers came to his home in response to reports of a disturbance in Potton, Bedfordshire, at about 5am.
The elderly man was taken into custody and left with bruises and bloody wounds to his wrists and arms.
Bedfordshire Police has referred itself to the police watchdog over the incident.
My 81yr old grandad having been arrested because @BedsPolice got the wrong address at 3am.He was terrified,ill and it took 10 officers/6 vehicles to arrest him. Maybe his heart attack gave him superpowers?He's in the cells, confused and bruised trying to defend himself. pic.twitter.com/xrX4Dlhy22
— Kayla (@Kayla81434876) September 2, 2022
Detective Chief Superintendent Julie Henderson from Bedfordshire Police said: "We understand the concerns regarding this incident and are carrying out our own internal review.
"We have also voluntarily referred ourselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct for full openness and transparency and to ascertain if there is any learning to be taken forward.
"Over the coming days the welfare of all those involved will be our primary concern."
Two uniformed officers responding to reports of a disturbance in Potton at around 5am on Friday initially approached the wrong address by mistake.
— Bedfordshire Police (@bedspolice) September 3, 2022
As they walked away from the property, they were approached in the street by a resident holding a wooden implement.
1/6 pic.twitter.com/UHmYotOmFx
Bedfordshire Police said as the officers left the Potton property a resident approached them with a “wooden implement”.
They called for backup and as other units arrived, an “altercation” broke out, with one of the officers trying to take the implement away, the force said.
A man in his 80s was arrested on suspicion of assault on an emergency worker and was taken into custody brief as officers assess the evidence.
The force said the wooden implement was “something similar in size and shape to a rounders bat”.
“It isn’t a rounders bat, but is a wooden stick of that sort of size and shape,” the force added.
