A 34-year-old man has been charged with five counts of assault on an emergency worker and arson with intent to endanger life after an armed police unit responded to an incident. 

Elwick Road, in Hartlepool, was the scene of a massive police response on Tuesday, March 19, after an hours-long stand-off with armed police. 

A man was arrested in the early hours of yesterday morning (Wednesday, March 20) after the incident escalated. 

A man walked onto the roof of a house, brandishing a knife, and residents then reported that "loud bangs" and "flashes" came from the home when the man climbed back through the loft window.  

The man will today appear in Teesside Magistrates Court today, (March 21) charged with five counts of assault on an emergency worker and arson with intent to endanger life.

The man remains on police bail on suspicion of other offences including threats to kill, stalking, criminal damage and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal.

Yesterday, a spokesperson for Cleveland Police said: "A man was arrested in the early hours of this morning, Wednesday March 20, after an incident at a property on Elwick Road in Hartlepool, where a man barricaded himself inside after reportedly making a number of threats.

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"A 34-year-old man remains in police custody at this time on suspicion of stalking, threats to kill, assaulting an emergency worker and causing unnecessary suffering to an animal."

On Tuesday, armed police, fire rescue services, and ambulance were all in attendance at the house. 

Eyewitnesses at the scene have described seeing police with riot shields entering the property at about 9.30am yesterday.