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Cops in Stand-Off With Lara Croft Dummy
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by Jordan Yerman | May 17, 2007 at 06:18 am
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Armed police engaged in a standoff with a life-sized dummy of Tomb Raider heroine Lara Croft after responding to homeowner David Williams' complaint about "nuisance phone calls". Not noticing that the silhouette of Ms. Croft was totally immobile, the police officers on the scene radioed for backup and burst into Williams' house.
In the event, the armed perp put up little resistance, since she was a life-size representation of Lara Croft which Williams had taken home for disposal on eBay. He recounted: "It would have been laughable if it hadn't been so terrifying. One of the police held a gun and yelled, 'Where's the weapon, where's the weapon?'"I didn't have a clue what was going on, I assumed they'd got the wrong house. I couldn't believe it when I realised they'd mistaken a Lara Croft dummy for someone with a gun."
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police explained that "officers peered inside after Mr Williams failed to answer his front door". She added that they "believed they saw a silhouette of a person pointing what appeared to be a firearm inside the house", and had accordingly followed "correct procedure" by backing off and calling in armed colleagues.
Williams was arrested at the scene and held for 13 hours. He's now been bailed on firearms offences and will find out next month if he faces further action. He says he is "speaking to lawyers about a possible claim for wrongful arrest".
Lara Croft, meanwhile, remains "impounded as evidence".
I seem to remember the seven-year-old boy using a similar setup to trick the burglars in the popular holiday movie Home Alone.
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (1)
at 19:38 on May 17th, 2007
Kind of funny stuff, but actually, I don't think any cop wants to be the first to find out if the silhouette that they see in the dark, holding a gun, is real or not. So, they take the proper precautions to protect their own lives as well as the citizens around them. I don't really know much about UK gun laws so I cannot comment on the basis of the weapons arrest.