Police raid houses after mystery 'gun fire' incident
POLICE have raided homes across West Lothian in connection with the serious assault of a man in Fauldhouse after receiving reports of gun fire from "terrified" residents.
Warrants were issued to search several homes in the county, including one in the Whiteside area of Bathgate and another in Torphichen where a heavy police presence was seen this week.
A police spokesman said: "Lothian and Borders Police are currently executing a number of search warrants across West Lothian in connection with a serious assault on a 40-year-old man that happened in Fauldhouse last Thursday.
"Our inquiries are ongoing in relation to this incident and we would urge anyone with information that can assist with our investigation to contact police immediately."
An area of woodland in Fauldhouse was cordoned off for two days following the mystery incident last week.
Residents in the McKinnon Road area said they were left "terrified" after a gang of men in cars descended on the piece of wasteland, near a playpark, before hearing shouting and what they thought was gun fire.
One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said: "My husband was just coming in the driveway when he said he heard shots, glass smashing and a lot of shouting and told me to phone the police.
"It went on for a while then a BMW car came flying down the road. Police said two cars had been in a head-on collision and that windows had been smashed with boulders.
"They also found a mobile. I was also told by police that two cars were registered in England and hadn't been reported stolen. One of the neighbours took the registration.
"The police came very fast but there was a lot of blood in one of the vehicles that I saw. It seemed like something out of a gangster movie where a drug deal had gone wrong or something but maybe we watch too many films. There were search dogs everywhere. It's so quiet and rural here. It was frightening."
Another neighbour said: "I saw three heavies get out of a car and two cars had blocked the entrance that looked like they didn't want somebody to get out.
"They were big guys with hoods on. Two cars were blocking the entrance before a BMW sped away. There were more cars in the field and two were towed away."
Police have confirmed the victim was taken to St John's Hospital after the assault, but that he had not suffered gunshot wounds.
A police spokesman added: "The man was taken to St John's Hospital, where he was treated for serious injuries. He has since been discharged."
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Weather for Bathgate
Tuesday 07 February 2012
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