Armed police swooped on a man armed with a crossbow and a knife in a busy city centre street.

Dramatic footage, taken by an eye-witness, shows how a man, who appears to be wearing a mask on part of his face, is brought to the ground by a police dog before officers intervene.

The dog can be seen gripping the man’s arm as he tries to wriggle free on Great Ancoats Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter.

The Manchester Evening News reports how police officers can be heard shouting "put it down" repeatedly.

Video shows the moment a man suspected of carrying a crossbow and a knife is Tasered by police

Footage shows the suspect then stands up and crosses the road with the dog still clinging onto him, while armed police close in on him.

Sirens can be heard screeching in the background as more police vans arrive at the scene.

The man then drops to the floor as a Taser is deployed, and about five police officers swoop in on the suspect.

A 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of carrying offensive weapons following the incident, at about 2.30pm on Thursday.

Police close off Great Ancoats Street after arresting an armed man

Police confirmed that they had earlier received a call about a man who appeared to be carrying weapons on Tib Street in the Northern Quarter.

The owner of a shop nearby claims that a man had moments earlier stolen a cross bow before fleeing through the entrance.

A shop manager has told the M.E.N. that the suspect stole the crossbow from his store and threatened him with it shortly before the police were alerted.

Zeeshan Saddiquei, 26, manager at Ridelow on Church Street said: “The man came in and I said ‘hi’, but he ignored me. He looked at the crossbow and started touching it. I didn’t feel right watching him. I called to my colleague to come down.

“The crossbow was cable-tied to the wall and the man, who was wearing a mask, then took his knife out and cut it off.

“He then came to me and asked where the bows were. I said I didn’t know if I had them. He started walking out the shop and I said ‘you can’t walk around with that’. I said ‘you can’t go’. He showed me his knife. He then walked out and I followed him.”

A police spokesman said: “Shortly after 2.30pm police were called to Tib Street in Manchester city centre to reports that a man was walking around with a large crossbow and a knife.

"Armed officers attended and a 30-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of carrying offensive weapons.

Police apprehend a man on Great Ancoats Street

“During the incident the man suffered an injury to his hand. He has been taken to hospital for treatment.

“A police cordon has now been put in place around a bag that the man was carrying.

“During the detainment, a Taser and a baton launcher was used by officers. As is standard practice, an automatic referral to GMP’s Professional Standards Branch and the IPCC has been made.”