Armed police raid home after mistaking Lara Croft dummy for gunman James Tozer
Last updated at 18:57pm on 15th May 2007
When police spotted a gun-wielding suspect lurking in the shadows of a suburban front room, their response was swift.
Armed officers burst into the house, shouted at the owner to lie on the floor, and ordered him to surrender his weapon.
But efficiency turned to embarrassment when the "gunman" turned out to be a life-sized model of the video game character Lara Croft, complete with trademark outsized pistols.
Computer shop owner David Williams, 42, had taken the dummy home to put it up for sale on the auction site eBay.
As the source of the confusion dawned on all concerned, it might have been the moment for an apology from the police.
Instead, however, Mr Williams was taken to the cells and held for more than 13 hours before being released.
He is now on bail for a suspected firearms offence, and Lara Croft remains impounded as evidence.