Dramatic moment cops barge into barricaded home & rescue boy, 8, as five-day Coventry siege with armed dad finally ends

THIS is the dramatic moment cops barge into a barricaded home and rescue a little boy as a five-day siege in Coventry involving his armed dad finally ends.

Explosions were heard as firearms officers smashed their way into the property in Earlsdon, Coventry, just after 8.30pm on Thursday evening.

Harrowing footage shows a group of heavily-kitted officers breaking through the front window of the property to get in.

One after another, the cops mount a small step ladder and enter the home where a five-day siege involving a man and his eight-year-old son was unfolding.

The clip, which appears to be taken by a neighbour, shows the SWAT team streaming out of the house moments later with the little boy in their arms and swiftly move him to safety.

Meanwhile, shouts can be heard coming from inside the house as more police stream out. There is no sign of the dad leaving with them.

Last night a spokesman for West Midlands Police said: “The siege in Coventry has been brought to a safe end this evening after officers forced their way into a property where a father had been barricaded in with his young son since Sunday.

“Specialist firearms officers moved in just after 8.30pm.

“A 41-year-old man is now being taken into custody where he will be assessed by mental health professionals.

“His son, who is believed to have been physically unharmed, is with other family and will receive any necessary professional support for any emotional and medical requirements.”

The spokesman added the standoff had been “drawn-out, tough and frustrating”.

Emergency crews swooped on a street in Coventry, West Midlands, to conduct a wellbeing check on a man and an eight-year-old child shortly after midnight on Sunday.

It means police have been locked in the standoff for 60 hours and counting as the tense incident develops.

The 41-year-old is "believed to be armed", the police have said.

Attempts to negotiate with the man had been stepped up a gear as specialist officers were sent in to try and diffuse the situation.

A primary school remained closed today for pupils' safety while nearby roads were also shut as the tense stand-off continued at the Victorian property.

Residents trapped in the cordoned-off area had to be escorted in and out of their homes by officers.