Police armed with guns jumped into the road to pull a man from his van on the A419 in Swindon and dragged him to the ground, say onlookers.

The incident, which was spotted by a member of the public just after midday on Easter Monday (April 1), happened on the A419 at the junction between Thamesdown Drive and Cricklade Road.

An eyewitness from the scene who has chosen to remain anonymous told the Adver that armed police who had been travelling in an unmarked BMW jumped out at the junction and pulled a man from his white van onto the grass verge.

UPDATE: Suspect 'armed with handgun' taken down by police in Swindon

"We were just pulling off the A419 when it happened and we just saw an unmarked BMW pull in front of this white van and within a few seconds around four armed police officers jumped out and pulled the man out on to the ground," said the eye-witness.

"I have no idea what the incident was about or what the man had done to warrant that reaction but it must have pretty serious because all the officers were armed with guns.

"We've never seen armed police jump out in the middle of the road like that, and it was a pretty shocking incident. It was all over in seconds."

It remains unclear at the present time what sparked the emergency response, but Wiltshire Police have been contacted for more information regarding the incident.