Man jumps out window in terrorist scare caused by loud children

A man in Manchester, England was left with a broken arm after jumping through a coffee shop window fleeing what he thought were terrorists, when in fact it was just a group of loud school children.

The man, who hasn’t been named, was in a coffee shop in the village of Didsbury on Wednesday when “gunshot like” bangs were heard in the premises. 

Thinking the cafe was under siege, one man wasn’t taking any chances and proceeded to dive out one of the front windows.

In an attempt to save the day, and regardless of his broken arm suffered in the fall, the man then ran to a nearby bank to call for help.

Although one woman explained to the Manchester Evening News that “it sounded like there was a shooting downstairs,” and that she was “expecting people wearing balaclavas and carrying guns to come upstairs,” no others followed suit and jumped out the window.

“Other people were running around trying to get out on to the balcony but the door was locked,” she told the newspaper. “I think that’s why the man went for one of the front windows. When I looked round I could only see his feet hanging from the window.”

“Afterwards, one woman said the first thing she thought about was the Paris attacks,” she added.

It transpired that the loud noises were actually caused by a group of school children “messing about” by banging trays on the floor.

Greater Manchester Police said they had been called to a “disturbance” at the coffee shop, but no further action was taken.