Gunmen fire at police while holding takeaway driver hostage for delivering ‘cold kebab’
This is the moment two men fire shots at police while holding a takeaway driver hostage for 14 hours after delivering a ‘cold kebab’.
Bedfordshire Police are seen surrounding the block of flats where the two shooters, Paul Burton, 45, and Nathan Turner, 37, barricaded themselves along with the victim.
The stand off lasted for 14 hours at Bury Court on the outskirts of Bedford in November 2022.
During this time Burton began live streaming on Facebook, complaining to police his takeaway driver ‘failed at his job’ as his kebab arrived late and was missing the salad.
Both Burton and Turner confronted the driver as he arrived on the eighth floor of the flats, and trapped him in the lift using a coffee table.
They kept him prisoner for two hours.
A neighbour went to complain about loud music they were playing, before Burton threatened her with a rifle.
He told officers: ‘You try even come through my f*****g door. I will kill your coppers in a heartbeat.’
Police evacuated the residents before deploying a negotiator to try and speak to the pair.
Superintendent Steve Ashdown said told Channel 4’s 24 Hours in Police Custody: ‘I was in a two-way dialogue with the negotiator. They tell me what’s happening from their perspective.
‘There were one or two moments where she could gain their trust.
‘Negotiators are very well trained. I admire the work they do.’
But Burton then fired a shot at a police car’s windscreen, narrowly avoiding a dog handler.
An armed officer with a ‘long barreledperfec weapon’ was placed into position to take a shot if necessary.
But the pair eventually left the flat and surrendered just before 6pm.
Burton was jailed for seven years after pleading guilty to attempting to causing grievous bodily harm and two charges of possessing a firearm without a certificate.
Tuner admitted to affray and four charges of criminal damage and was sentenced to 20 months.
Mr Ashdown said: ‘Like with every other firearms incident, there is a sense of achievement and relief at a successful resolution.
‘All the residents were kept safe and no officers came to harm, which is not always a guarantee for police officers, sadly. There was a sense of professional pride.’
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