Parts of Edinburgh city centre were cordoned off by police last Saturday (October 25) for several hours following a police manhunt for an alleged motorcycle thief reported to be hiding on a roof.
According to The Scotsman, around 50 police officers in riot gear and one police helicopter were deployed to the scene.
Fire crews joined police officers in Old Town around 10pm.
Police moved onlookers away from the cordon and reportedly said that a “dangerous incident” had taken place.
Police Scotland confirmed that a man had been detained following the incident but that officers would continue to search for the alleged thief.
The event attracted much attention on social media, with reports circulating of a shooting incident by an armed gunman.
A Police Scotland spokesperson denied that firearms were involved and said that the incident posed no risk to the public.
They said: “Police in Edinburgh were in attendance on the Royal Mile on Saturday evening in connection with an earlier incident of a stolen motorbike and the man was reported to be on the roof of a building in the Cockburn Street area.
“A cordon was put in place so there was no risk to the public and no armed police were involved. Inquiries are ongoing to locate the man.”
Speaking to The Student, a third year English Literature and History student at the University of Edinburgh, said: “Aside from the Royal Mile area, I don’t think that disruption was that huge from 10pm.
“Buses were still running and we had no problems travelling across the city.”
A third year Biology student told The Student: “I arrived at Cockburn Street around 11pm. The area was still cordoned off, though the situation was pretty calm.
“The crowd had mainly dispersed by then and there were a few police [officers] standing around. People were just going about their business.”
