A gun and drugs were discovered by police, after a suspect was shot by armed police.

Officers tried to stop a car on Bury New Road in Whitefield, Manchester at around 3pm on Friday, May 23.

Police say the motorist “failed to stop and drove at officers to get away”. A firearms officer from Greater Manchester Police subsequently fired a shot.

The driver was transported to hospital with an arm injury, where he remained on Saturday. The injury was described as ‘neither life-threatening nor life-changing’.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), the police watchdog, confirmed the suspect sustained a suspected broken elbow. The 20-year-old “white British man” was arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of class A drugs at the scene, reports the Manchester Evening News.

In a fresh update, GMP confirmed its investigation is continuing. The force revealed officers searched a property in Radcliffe overnight and discovered a firearm alongside a ‘significant’ quantity of both class A and class B drugs. No additional arrests have been made. Enquiries remain ongoing.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 22: A forensic officer attends the scene where a car was stopped by GMP firearm officers on the Bury New Road on May 22, 2026 in Manchester, England. A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: "At 3pm today (Friday 22 May 2026), We attempted to stop a vehicle on Bury New Road in Whitefield, Bury. The car failed to stop and drove directly at our officers to get away. In response, a shot was fired by a GMP firearms officer. The driver of the car was taken to hospital for an injury to his arm, which has been described as neither life-threatening nor life changing. No police officers were injured in the incident and Investigations are ongoing. A 20-year-old white British man has been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the supply of Class A drugs." (Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images)View 3 Images

A firearms officer shot after a car ‘drove at’ police

Detective Superintendent Joe Harrop, from GMP’s Serious Crime Division, said: “Our officers were met with an extremely dangerous situation on Bury New Road yesterday.

“Thankfully no members of the wider public, or officers were harmed in the incident. Despite this, our team has acted swiftly and professionally, and our investigation has progressed at pace.

“Overnight searches have led to the recovery of a firearm and a significant quantity of class A and B drugs. This is a substantial find and it in turn prevents a potentially dangerous weapon and a significant amount of drugs from reaching our streets.

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MAY 22: Forensic officers attend the scene as a white car is boxed in by other unmarked cars behind a police cordon on the Bury New Road on May 22, 2026 in Manchester, England. It has been reported armed police have swarmed an area of Bury New Road in Whitefield following an incident.  (Photo by Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images)View 3 Images

Forensics were called to the scene(Image: Ryan Jenkinson/Getty Images)

“Our investigation will progress, and we will continue to target those involved in serious and organised crime to keep our communities safe for all those who live and work across the whole of Greater Manchester.”

In a statement released this morning, the IOPC confirmed: “We are independently investigating following a non-fatal police shooting in Bury.

“We were made aware by Greater Manchester Police, who advised that a man was shot in the arm after a vehicle failed to stop for officers. He was taken to hospital with a suspected broken elbow.

“While firearms incidents like this are, thankfully, rare, it is important for there to be independent scrutiny to fully understand what has happened.

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“IOPC investigators attended the scene and to the police post-incident procedures to begin gathering evidence.”

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