A WRECKED car was yesterday being taken away from a south Belfast street where a 26-year-old man went on a rampage along the rooftops of a row of terrace houses.
Bricks and tiles still lay on the pavement of Ashley Drive, near Lisburn Road on Monday, after a man climbed on to a roof on the night before and refused to come down.
The man climbed onto the roof at around 9.30pm on Sunday and began to break chimneys and throw bricks at cars and people.
One resident said fear for his safety seemed to have led him to climb onto the roof.
However, he refused to come down for police and a stand-off reportedly lasted for four hours, with armed response officers believed to have been called to the scene.
Homes were evacuated overnight and structural surveys has to be completed before people were allowed to return home.
A 26-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including criminal damage.
"Officers received a report of a man on the roof of a house at around 9.30pm on Sunday evening," a PSNI spokesman said.
"The man refused to come down and proceeded to cause damage to the roofs of a number of neighbouring properties. Several cars, parked in the street below, were also damaged by masonry and slates.
"A number of homes were evacuated overnight as a result of the incident, with families only returning this morning following structural surveys being carried out at their homes.
"The man came down from the roof at around 1.30am and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of a number of offences including criminal damage. He remains in custody at this time assisting officers with their enquiries."
The incident came a day after up to 100 youths in the Oldpark area of north Belfast on Saturday evening caused disruption, banging on doors and jumping on top of parked cars.
One house had two doors damaged and the home-owner had "to make other accommodation arrangements".
Police say the youths were between 13 and 19.
