A BARE-CHESTED thug was Tasered for causing mayhem at a shopping centre.

Zak Marsden was arrested at Churchill Square shopping centre in Brighton.

Witnesses saw the 31-year-old holding bottles of alcohol in nearby North Street before he was approached by community support officers.

He had no shirt on, and was seen scampering away from the officers up the hill towards the shopping centre.

Marsden burst into fashion store H&M causing shock for shoppers.

The Argus:

Several police cars swooped on the shopping centre and security staff were alerted.

Entrances were affected and shoppers had to leave the fashion retailer while the situation was brought under control.

Marsden was Tasered by the police, and a riot van was brought in to take him to custody to end the drama in the city centre.

One witness said: “It lasted about 45 minutes in total. The first I saw was when the man was at the bottom of North Street with no shirt on with an alcohol bottle in each hand.

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“He came running up the road with three cops after him. He kept asking them to show him some ID.

“Then more police arrived and joined the chase and he ended up in H&M. At one point there was a clothes rail between him and the cops.

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“They pinned him down in the end to arrest him. There must have been 20 officers around to detain him.”

Another passerby said: “The man was in handcuffs and was placed in the back of a police van.

“There was a large crowd gathered outside the entrance to the store to see what was going on.

The Argus:

“Security staff were asking people to clear a way to the stairs and move along.”

Sussex Police said: “A man was in possession of a smashed bottle threatening to harm himself inside a retail store.

“We attended and located the suspect, who also directed threats at officers.

“Due to concerns for the safety of themselves, the suspect and the community, a Taser was deployed and the man was safely detained.”

The Argus:

Marsden, of Roman Road, Brighton, appeared at Brighton Magistrates’ Court last week. He admitted assaulting PC Bradley Hales and threatening behaviour.

Magistrates imposed a three-month suspended sentence, and ordered Marsden to complete 150 hours of unpaid work. He must also pay a surcharge and court costs.