Footage has emerged of the dramatic moment armed police stopped a vehicle travelling on a motorway.
Video shot inside the target car shows armed police surrounding the vehicle with one officer hanging out of a window pointing their gun.
The video is believed to have been taken on the southbound carriageway of the M1 near Watford at around 8.45am on Wednesday morning.
Bedfordshire Police said the stop was in connection with an aggravated burglary at a suspected cannabis factory in Luton earlier in the morning, in which a fight had also allegedly broken out involving weapons.
In total, nine people from two vehicles were taken into custody by police investigating the break-in, including four inside a car on the M1.
A screenshot from the armed stop on the M1. Credit: Twitter/'CrimeLdn
Footage of the stop was uploaded onto social media platform Snapchat and has since been viewed tens of thousands of times across various social media sites.
The clip begins with an armed response vehicle pulling in front of the target car, before a second pulls up alongside, with an officer leaning out of the front passenger window with their weapon drawn.
The driver can be seen giving the 'thumbs-up' to an armed officer pointing a gun at them. Credit: Twitter/@CrimeLdn
The driver can be seen giving a thumbs-up to the officer before a passenger is heard shouting 'woah' five times and then 'armed feds, armed feds'.
The second police vehicle then cuts across the path of the target car which had by now almost stopped, and an officer can be heard giving demands, although they are inaudible in the clip due to the blaring sirens.
This armed vehicle pulls up alongside with an officer out of the window pointing their weapon at the car where the video is being filmed. Credit: Twitter/@CrimeLdn
The police vehicle cuts across, still with the gun pointing at the occupants of the car. Credit: Twitter/@CrimeLdn
The driver can later be heard telling an officer the engine has been switched off and with at least three officers surrounding them, can be heard saying 'I’m still'.
It is believed the person who took the video is a UK drill music artist.
A witness travelling northbound on the M1 past Bricket Wood yesterday morning told the Observer how they saw a car on the hard shoulder with people lying on the ground surrounded by armed officers.
They said further police officers had kept traffic back while more officers were spotted on a nearby bridge.
Another officer appears, also armed. Credit: Twitter/@CrimeLdn
This police vehicle had already slowed the target car down. Credit: Twitter/@CrimeLdn
At least three officers surrounded the target vehicle. Credit: Twitter/@CrimeLdn
Bedfordshire Police later issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon confirming the stop was in relation to an incident that had occurred in Luton.
A spokesperson said: "At around 7.30am (Wednesday April 14) police were called to reports of a break-in and a fight where several people were seen with offensive weapons in Warren Street, Luton.
"The group then left the scene in two different vehicles.
"One of the vehicles was located in Luton and stopped shortly after. The five occupants were arrested and two machetes were found during the search of the car."
This was seized from a car stopped in Luton. Credit: Bedfordshire Armed Policing Unit
This weapon was also seized from a vehicle in Luton. Credit: Bedfordshire Armed Policing Unit
The spokesperson continued: "The second vehicle moved off, but was located travelling southbound on the M1 motorway near Watford and stopped by armed police. The four occupants of the vehicle were arrested.
"Nine men aged between 18 and 23, from Luton, London, Hayes and High Wycombe, were arrested on suspicion of aggravated burglary and currently remain in police custody.
"A cannabis factory was discovered in Warren Street after police officers carried out enquiries in the area."
Bedfordshire Police have been approached for an update on those arrested.
Sign up for our weekly crime and court newsletter here and keep up to date with the latest crime news on our dedicated Facebook page here.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article