Officers were called to Victoria Road and Bedford Street on Sunday (January 26) after the property was left shattered in a reported incident at around 5am.
Pictures from the scene showed police guarding the property, while spatters of blood could be seen around the door frame and on the pavement below.
Durham Constabulary confirmed on Monday (January 27) that two people had been arrested and charged with aggravated burglary, and were due to appear in court.
Here’s everything we know so far
Where and when did the ‘incident’ take place?
Police erected a cordon outside a flat at the corner of Victoria Road and Bedford Street, in Darlington, on Sunday morning following an alleged incident at 5am.
What happened?
Officers were called to a house on Victoria Road following reports of a burglary in progress.
Police attended on immediate response and arrested two people at the scene, one of which had sustained an injury to his hand and was taken to hospital for treatment.
Who was arrested and charged?
Durham Constabulary confirmed that James McStravick, 28, and Frank Park, 26, of Milner Road in Darlington, were the two people charged with aggravated burglary.
They were scheduled to appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court on Monday.
What did the scene look like?
Several police vehicles were at the scene across Sunday, with pictures showing a crime scene investigation van and police car parked on Bedford Street and Victoria Road.
Blue and white police tape was strung around the front of the flat, which had a shattered front door. There were also blood spatterings on the door and pavement below, and a trail of blood was captured heading away from the property and across the street.
An officer remained at the scene throughout the day, while CSI teams wearing blue gloves and masks were spotted using torches to probe the front door.
What have residents said?
Many residents stumbled upon the police scene when they woke on Sunday morning.
One 63-year-old, who asked to remain anonymous, said: “I never heard anything. I didn’t find out until this morning when my son said he’d seen it on Facebook then he texted me.”
Another 52-year-old, who has lived nearby for five years, explained how she was alerted to the ordeal: “It was 5am. I woke up and there was shouting, but I think that was the police.
“There were a couple of police vans there last night, but it’s nothing unusual around here, it’s in the middle of town.
“I’ve lived here for five years but my mother has lived here for more than 20 years, so I know the area. I like it. It’s just there as often trouble. It is not much of a shock.”
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What have police said?
A full statement from the force said:
“Police were called just before 5am yesterday (January 26) to reports of a burglary in progress at a house on Victoria Road, in Darlington.
“Officers attended on an immediate response and detained two people at the scene. One suspect had sustained an injury to his hand and was taken to hospital for treatment.
“Two men, aged 28 and 26, have since been charged with aggravated burglary and remanded in custody to appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court today (January 27).”
