The drama unfolded when police attempted to arrest the man, who was wanted for a number of serious crimes.

But when police arrived at the apartment building in Bromma where the man was staying, he locked himself in his flat.

As police worked to open the door, the suspect managed to flee by climbing from his fifth-floor balcony to that of the neighbouring apartment.

“There he took a couple hostage,” Stockholm police spokesperson Stefan Nordenmark told the Aftonbladet newspaper.

The shocked couple then found themselves trapped in their own apartment by the man for the next two hours as police worked to find a solution to the hostage situation.

Police finally decided to carry out a raid on the apartment.

“We were forced to go in fast and use a flash grenade which doesn’t cause injury, but rather bangs and flashes in order to paralyze the perpetrator,” said Nordemark.

“We chose not to wait for a negotiator, but rather take the offensive to avoid taking any risks.”

The wanted man subsequently gave up after police entered the flat and the couple, while shaken, was unharmed in the incident.

“It’s not every day that something like this happens,” Nordemark told Aftonbladet.

The man is now in custody, although police refused to elaborate on what crimes the man is suspected of committing.

“But he’s not a nice guy, if I can put it that way,” said Nordemark.

TT/The Local/dl

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