Police have insisted there was no risk to the public during an operation to detain five men at a McDonald’s restaurant in Arbroath.
Witnesses described hearing gun shots as police swooped on five men in relation to their investigation into the theft of an ATM from the Co-op in Carnoustie in the early hours of Friday.
Superintendent Graeme Murdoch said the use of deflation rounds was intended to prevent the occupants fleeing and potentially putting the public in harm’s way.
“It’s really important in these situations that the vehicle doesn’t get a chance to move off and cause danger to the public,” he said.
“It’s important to ensure that the vehicle cannot be driven away and sometimes that (using deflation rounds) is the safest way of doing that.
“The rounds that were used from the firearms today are not normal ammunition, they are specifically for tyre deflation and they pose no risk to the wider public.
“However, I can fully understand that the noise of firearms being used would have been alarming to people, and that’s unfortunate, but I would seek to reassure people that there was no risk to the public here today.”
Pick up a copy of The Courier for more on this story or try our digital edition.