A woman “bolted” in terror when she saw an intruder smashing his way into Dunfermline Sheriff Court with what she thought were guns.
The male suspect was described by the witness as carrying a mallet or hammer-type object in each hand.
It comes after a police officer was injured in another incident at the court on Tuesday afternoon.
The witness to Wednesday’s intruder spoke to the The Courier in the minutes after the incident, which happened shortly after noon.
She said: “I walked out of the toilet and went to walk out of the main door for some fresh air and this guy started smashing the doors and smashing every glass panel.
“I ran because he was coming in and he had these things in his hand.”
Pointing to a hammer or mallet-type object still lying on the floor in the court’s foyer area, the woman said he had “one in each hand” and was “just smashing”.
She continued: “I honestly thought they were guns (initially) because of the loud banging noise and I just bolted”.
The woman, who asked not to be named, said she ran into one of the courtrooms – court number two – to get away from the man.
The woman, who says she suffers from anxiety, was in a visibly panicked state when she came in to the courtroom.
Court was not running at the time and the main doors to the room were locked behind her.
Man arrested after Dunfermline court ‘disturbance’
A court police officer was seen to dash out of court two through a secure door to deal with the situation.
It is understood the suspect was then restrained by police inside the building.
In the aftermath, police taped off the main entrance to the court.
Multiple glass panels had been smashed on the court’s main doors and on the doors leading into the main foyer and reception area.
Broken glass was strewn across the floor inside the building.
One of the building’s windows, to the left of the main entrance, was left with a gaping hole in it.
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed the “disturbance” at the court and said: “A 35-year-old man was arrested in connection with the incident.
“Enquiries are ongoing. No-one was injured.”
It comes after a man was arrested after a disturbance at the same court on Tuesday, which led to a police officer being injured.
Police were called to the court at around noon on Tuesday with videos shared on social media showing several police vehicles outside.
An officer sustained minor injuries during the incident.
