Dubai police officer forced to fire warning shot at suspect in street, court hears

A Dubai Police officer was forced to fire a warning shot when a suspect tried to take his handgun, a court heard. The patrolman said he fired into the air when he and two other officers approached the man, who became aggressive. “He resisted arrest and tried to grab my weapon,” the officer testified on Sunday. “I fired a warning shot in the air to scare him, but he escaped." The incident happened in the Naif area of Deira in April, but court documents did not provide a date. The officer said they approached the man, a Nigerian, as he loitered outside a bank and appeared to act suspiciously. After the shot was fired and the man fled, police sent back-up into the surrounding streets and the suspect was apprehended. He was found to have a residency visa but was illegally working for someone else. He admitted to assaulting three officers. He was due to be sentenced in August. Naif and nearby Al Ras – two of the most densely-populated areas of the city – were placed in lockdown between March 31 and April 26, as the authorities sought to identify and quarantine Covid-19 carriers. The areas were deemed to be at high risk given that many flats are shared by up to 15 people. It is estimated that several hundred cases were eventually identified from thousands of free tests carried out on residents. Barriers cordoning off the areas were lifted to jubilant scenes on April 26 .

Dubai police officer forced to fire warning shot at suspect in street, court hears

A patrolman said the man lunged for his handgun during an altercation in the city's Naif area