Armed police shoot thug waving SAMURAI SWORD

THIS is the shocking moment that cops shot a man waving a "samurai sword" in a busy street.



Armed police were called to confront 50-year-old John Taylor who was seen waving the giant blade outside shops on Saturday in Basildon, Essex.



Armed officers shot Taylor with a baton gun - which fires non-lethal circular plastic rounds - after a tense stand-off in front of shoppers.



The shocking incident was caught on a CCTV camera at the Costcutter shop and shows two armed police officers confronting Taylor outside the row of shops.



He unsheathes the sword as the cops approach while the cops shout for him to drop the weapon.



But he stands firm with the blade held high in the air as bystanders watch the drama unfold.



Taylor is then shot with the baton gun, causing him to collapse to the ground in agony before being quickly seized by cops.



The video also records the sword being picked up by officers inside the cordon, which was set up around the local pharmacy.



A shop worker close to the incident was told by police to lock the door for safety reasons.



Rupan Shan said: "We saw a guy outside with a big sword and we called the police straight away.



"We were told to lock up the shop by police so for our customers' safety we locked them inside too.



"There was a 10-year old boy in the shop at the time but he seemed quite calm.



"We were all so shocked to see what we saw. We watched out the window as it happened.



"The police shouted at him to drop the knife but he ignored them.



"I have worked here for three years and never seen anything like this before.



"The whole incident lasted about 20 minutes but when the police got here it was over in three minutes."