IN April 1996 an armed police raid on house in Northumberland Place, Teignmouth, dubbed ‘jinx street’, made dramatic headlines.
It detailed how officers swooped on the property holding guns to the heads of terrified residents, who were dragged out of bed and ordered to put their hands up before being handcuffed and laid on the floor.
About 20 officers, armed with handguns and rifles, carried out a thorough search of the property, ripping up floorboards and sending in a drugs sniffer dog.
It was believed they were looking for drugs, but found nothing and there were no arrests.
The flats at 15 Northumberland Place were normally occupied by about eight young people from the Liverpool area, but only three were present during the 8am raid.
Sgt Colin Dawe of the Special Operations Group at Newton Abbot said inquiries were continuing. It was understood a similar raid was carried out in Liverpool.
‘It was quite frightening because I was half asleep and suddenly a gun was being held at my head,’ said 28 year-old Michael Matheassen who had only been at the address a few weeks.
‘They shouted “police don’t move”. I was dragged out of bed and told to keep my hands visible. They handcuffed me and laid me on the floor’.
A similar account was given by Carl Wilkes, 23, who declared: ‘It was not a nice experience and I am still shaking from it.
‘The police did not say what they were doing or looking for, but there is nothing to find here anyway. We are not involved in drugs or guns, but because we come from Liverpool are picked on all the time.
‘There are a few other people living here, but they are away visiting family at the moment. Nobody here is involved in drugs at all.’
Several neighbours witnessed the dramatic events but were reluctant to be named.
One shopkeeper said he saw four police vans suddenly pull up.
‘They had had guns and rifles drawn, and at first I thought it was a film being made.
‘They crept carefully along by the wall and disappeared into the house.’
Another eye witness added: ‘The vans raced up the street. It looked like a TV swat team operation.
‘It was hard to believe it was happening before your eyes.’
And another resident said there was always a lot of comings and going from the raided flats.
‘’There was a big rumpus there at the weekend and the glass in the front door was broken. Some of the tenants can be noisy at times.
‘All sorts of things seem to be happening in this street and it is getting quite a reputation.’
Over the past two years a man had been murdered in his flat in the street, a block of flats was almost gutted in a fire, and a pub also suffered a blaze.