Residents shocked as armed cops raid and execute a firearms warrant at Sparkbrook garage

Armed police raided a garage in Stratford Road in Birmingham last night to execute a firearms warrant due to intelligence suggesting there may be a “firearms threat”.

The site of the Mercedes Specialist Centre (MSL) in the Sparkbrook area of the city was stormed by armed officers yesterday evening and the the shocking incident was captured on camera by local residents at the scene.

Dramatic video footage documenting the raid shows a team of police officers dressed in black, and some in plainclothes but armed and helmeted, storming through the front of the independent Mercedes Benz specialists business unit with military precision.

Located on the A34 Stratford Road in a busy shopping precinct, the specialist car centre houses and repairs luxury and commercial vehicles as well as carrying out MOT testing.

Armed with rifles, the officers in the video clips can be seen wearing bulletproof vests and helmets with radio headsets.

A police helicopter was also reportedly hovering above the scene, monitoring the situation as the armed officers swept through the building.

The incident took place under cover of darkness but while the garage was still open, with its shutters raised, lights on and cars clearly visible inside the building.

The dramatic footage, which has been shared online, also shows the officers shouting warning instructions for those inside the garage to raise their hands and remain still. Some of the clips shows the armed officers searching through the boots of the cars inside the MSL garage as police executed the firearms warrant.

The tense footage also shows a group of armed police officers surrounding a ‘suspect’ in one corner of the garage, as local people can be seen watching the shocking scene unfolding before their eyes.

A number of videos are circulating online documenting the shocking incident. The various videos shows footage of the police operation at various stages, with some clips showing the dramatic moment when armed police storm the MSL building and other videos showing the officers departing in military formation back to their vehicles at the end of the operation.

A police spokesperson told I Am Birmingham: “We executed a warrant at a car garage in Stratford Road last night. Armed police supported the warrant due to intelligence suggesting there may be a firearms threat.

“The warrant is part of a wider operation. No arrests were made and enquiries continue.”