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

Residents of Naif pictured after the district's lockdown was lifted in late April. Police patrolled the streets for a month to ensure cases in the high density area did not spread. Pawan Singh / The NationalShow less

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.

Al Ras and Naif lockdown lifted - in pictures

Crowds line the streets as a parade of police cars and taxis enter Al Ras and Naif on Sunday night. Officials played the national anthem and thanked residents for their cooperation after an almost month-long lockdown. The National

Residents have been confined to their homes for 24-hours per day since March 31. The densely populated area, in which a dozen or more people often share an apartment, was judged by the authorities to be high risk

A parade of emergency service vehicles enters the area as residents are allowed to leave their homes on Sunday night

Mounted police on the streets as barricades are lifted

A pedestrian walks past barricades on Baniyas Road just hours before the 24-hour stay-home order was lifted in Al Ras and Naif on Sunday night. All photos by Antonie Robertson / The National

Dubai's Al Ras neighbourhood was on lockdown for almost a month

About 6,000 residents were tested in the area and officials have not diagnosed a new case in two days

The area is normally bustling with tourists in April

The nearby cruise ship terminal that welcomes almost a million passengers each year has been closed for two months

Baniyas Street is normally one of the busiest in the old town

Barricades were lifted later on Sunday night allowing residents to leave their homes following a 24-hour stay-home order for the past month

Residents can leave the area for essential shopping and exercise but must be at home from 10pm to 6am

Abandoned cars on Baniyas road near the cordoned entrance to the quarantined area