Police have Tasered a masked man in Manchester who was carrying a stolen crossbow and a knife.

Officers swooped on Tib Street in the city centre around 2.30pm today.

The 30-year-old man was first brought down by a police dog before he was Tasered by officers as he ran towards a crowd of panicked people.

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

The 30-year-old man was arrested by police in Manchester city centre around 2.30pm today

Armed police take away the crossbow and knife from the scene where a man, 30, was arrested

The 30-year-old was first brought down by a police dog before he was Tasered

Zeeshan Saddiquei, 26, manager at Ridelow bicycle store on Church Street, told MailOnline the man stole a crossbow from his shop.

He said: 'The man came into the shop and he started pulling things from the wall. There was a crossbow there and he took his knife out and cut it off.

'I phoned my colleague and told him to come downstairs but the man then asked me where the bows for the crossbow were. I said I didn't have them.

'He started walking out the shop and I said "will you pay for that?" He then showed me the knife and left the shop, so I started following him. My boss was calling me, asking me to come back.'

Mr Saddiquei, who has worked at the store for five years, said: 'I didn't want to leave him, I wanted to see where he was going as he could be dangerous to the public. I was on the phone to the police as I was chasing him.

Mr Saddiquei chased after the man (pictured) who had the crossbow and knife

'He told me to back off and f*** off and he was acting aggressively but I wasn't listening to what he was saying, I was just looking at his hand and body. I wasn't scared at the time.

'As I was chasing him, his knife fell from his pocket. He picked it up and said "don't follow me" and moved towards me. He then walked off again but I didn't want to let him go. I was on the phone to police for about 10 to 15 minutes. I'm happy they found him.

'I wasn't thinking at the time, but there were kids and members of the public around and I was worried he might do something with the knife.'

Police surround the man who was seen running through the city centre with a large crossbow and knife

Police swooped on the scene and the 30-year-old man was brought down with a Taser and a baton launcher

The armed man was taken down by a police dog in Manchester city centre this afternoon

Police surrounded the man who was seen carrying a large crossbow and a knife

A man was arrested in Manchester, close to the Northern Quarter, after being seen walking around with a crossbow and a knife

Keith Marland, who witnessed the incident, told the Manchester Evening News: 'I saw armed police driving past, then about six or seven police Range Rovers went passed.

'A few of them then jumped out of the cars. The man with a crossbow was running towards us, a police dog brought him to the ground, but he got up again and the police dog was hanging onto his arm.

Zeeshan Saddiquei, 26, manager at Ridelow bicycle store on Church Street, chased after the man who stole a crossbow from his shop

'He walked to the other side of the road. He walked into the front of a police car but carried on.

'The man was then Tasered, then I heard a bang and he fell to the floor. Police then disarmed him of his cross bow and took his mask off.

'They were shouting for everyone to move away.'

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police 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.

'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.'

Great Ancoats Street is still blocked off by police in the east direction.