Police reassure public over Cribbs Causeway 'shooting' video

A man wielding a machete appeared to be gunned down by police but all was not what it seemed

A man wielding a machete at Cribbs Causeway, near Bristol, was shot twice by police in dramatic scenes on Monday afternoon (September 30) - but it was only a training exercise. Avon and Somerset police have reassured the public after a video of the scene at a bus stop at The Mall was widely shared on Monday mainly through WhatsApp.

The video, filmed across the car park, showed a man in a balaclava threatening people at the bus stop with what appeared to be a large knife. One woman backs away as people scatter and watch.

Then two cars pull up and the man is floored by two shots from plain clothes police officers emerging from the vehicles. The video - and even videos of the recording on other people’s phones - were being widely shared in Bristol on Monday evening, and the Bristol Live team was inundated with inquiries about what had happened.

But there were already clues that this was thankfully not the shocking scene it first appeared to be. One video showed observers with high-vis tabards were watching the scene unfold carefully, while many of the people in the area around the scene did not look particularly scared or panicked and no one ran away, as one might expect.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police confirmed the incident was a training exercise. He said signs were put in place around the area to reassure the public at the time, and none of those involved were members of the public.

It is unclear whether the person filming the video from across the car park was aware it was a training exercise.