West Midlands Police

This is the dramatic moment police wrestled a gunman to the ground as he fled on an e-bike.

Antonio Balu, 25, sped down Soho Road in Birmingham on a black bike before West Midlands Police officers tackled him as he rode by. They had become suspicious after spotting him wearing a hoodie in 25C temperatures on Aug 13.

Bodycam footage shows Pc Matthew More grabbing Balu’s backpack as he sped past, forcing him to crash into the kerb. Balu was searched, and officers found a pistol loaded with three rounds of ammunition in his bag.

In the video, a panicking Balu tells officers: “I just found this bike and this bag, I just put it on now.” An officer replies: “No you haven’t, we’ve been watching you for ages.”

When asked what was inside the bag, Balu replies: “Nothing,” before saying: “I haven’t done nothing wrong.”

Balu admitted possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition, and was jailed for five years at Birmingham crown court last Wednesday.

The arrest was made by West Midlands Police’s Guardian Taskforce, which is dedicated to tackling serious youth violence.

Detective Inspector Jon Green, of the force’s major crime unit, said: “This is excellent work by the Guardian Taskforce, whose actions have taken a deadly weapon off the streets.

“Balu claimed he’d just found the bike and the bag, but we pieced together his movements using CCTV to show that he’d left his house on the bike, and carrying the bag, earlier in the day.

“What started as a routine stop of someone acting suspiciously has resulted in a loaded firearm being taken off the street and the carrier being jailed for five years.”