Dominic Smithers
Panic hit a small UK village after a 'gimp' jumped out in front of a woman's car.
Police raced to the scene after receiving reports of a man dressed in a latex outfit in Bleadon, Somerset.
A man was later arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance.
According to the authorities, the man who was cuffed at the scene had previously arrested over a similar spate of incidents in Cleeve, near Bristol, in October last year, which he is still under investigation for.
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In a statement, Avon and Somerset Police stated that the latest bizarre incident happened on Accommodation Road at around 12.07am this morning (9 May).
A man wearing latex allegedly leapt out in front of a woman's vehicle, scaring her.
The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous, wrote on Facebook: "As soon as I got over the first railway bridge, I noticed something on the ground which I thought was a badger.
"As I got closer I could see it wasn’t, but in fact a man with a mask on, who was crawling and writhing on the ground. His mask had 2 white crosses on his eyes and he was in all black.
"I have honestly never been so frightened in my entire life."
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Officers arrived at the scene within a matter of minutes and quickly found a man in his 30s, who they believe to be responsible for the incident.
Speaking about the arrest, Inspector Graeme Hall, of the neighbourhood policing team, assured the local community that his team were doing everything they could to keep them safe.
“We understand this latest incident may cause the community some concern," he said.
“We took this morning’s report extremely seriously and had officers on the scene within minutes which ultimately led to the arrest being made.
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“To reassure the community, we will be carrying out extra patrols in the Bleadon area and anyone concerned about this, or any other incident, is encouraged to speak to an officer.”
If you have any information or CCTV, doorbell, or dashcam footage form this morning, which could help with the investigation, police have urged you to get in touch.
You can contact the team on 101, using the case reference 5223107134.
Late last year, a teen described being confronted by someone wearing a similar get-up of a black bodysuit and a mask, and grunting.
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The 19-year-old man came into contact with the man in Cleeve at just after midnight on Tuesday, stating that the man was ‘unpredictable, flopping to the floor, writhing and grunting’.
A man in his 30s was later arrested and bailed on suspicion of causing a public nuisance.
"I don't want this guy to be seen as a bogey man... but this kind of thing, this invisible threat that he could be anywhere… it's indirectly causing fear," the teenager said.
"It's not just about the encounter, but the effect it has in waves through the community. It's quite gut-wrenching.”
The witness, who – for perhaps obvious reasons remains anonymous – said he thought the person was drunk at first, before the man ‘took a step up on the pavement, arched his body and flopped to the ground, without putting his hands out to catch himself’.