Armed Police hunting a gunman pointed their weapons at a nine-year-old boy, his mother and great-aunt after kicking down the door of their Pembroke home early yesterday morning, it has been alleged.

The boy's mother, who asked not to be identified, told the raid at her house was "like a terrorist attack".

She said officers told her they were looking for her brother ? whom she would not name ? in connection with the shooting of three people at the Swinging Doors nightclub in Court Street, Hamilton, in the early hours of Monday.

Police yesterday said a 30-year-old man had been taken into custody and was helping inquiries into the shooting.

Yesterday's Police raid occurred at 6 a.m.

"It was terrifying," the woman said. "I understand they have to do their job and look for people but for me there was a different way they could have handled this."

The woman's aunt said she was in bed when she heard the Police van pull up at the house.

"All I heard was the door with the pane falling out. I jumped up," she said. "I got out of bed. I met the squad with the rifle things, pointing at me, saying 'sit down'. All of them were armed with machine guns."

The 65-year-old child carer claimed the officers did not identify themselves as Police but demanded to know who else was in the house and then burst into her niece and great-nephew's bedroom

The boy's mother said: "I just jumped up.

"The door opened and there was a gun pointing at me.

"There was a gun and then about two or three more people rushed in with guns and they were all pointing down at the bed at me. They all had masks and guns. I got in bed. I was starting to cry.

"You get woken up and see a gun in your face and it's just like 'what is going on?'."

She said guns were also pointed at her son, who was in another bed in the room.

"He was sitting there, looking around. He was just wide-eyed," she said. "My son has been sick. He is being investigated about seizures and had been up all night. He's a pretty tough little boy and he never started crying."

She said she told police that her brother did not live with her and was not in the house.

"They know he doesn't live here so why terrorise us like that?" she said. "I'm not happy with the way they barged in here like that. Somebody is busting the door with a gun to your head and I haven't done anything.

"I even had to use the bathroom and the officer had to come to the bathroom and stand with the door open, looking in there."

Her aunt added: "I didn't know what to think. It looked like something from outer space. I didn't realise it was the Police. I thought it was just somebody breaking in."

The boy said: "I thought it was scary but then I found out it was the Police and I was thinking 'they won't do nothing to me'."

His mother said the armed Police left after a ten-minute search of the house. Detectives then arrived with a sniffer dog and stayed until about 7.45 a.m.

They offered to replace the front door and had already begun doing so yesterday morning. The woman said she contacted her brother after which he voluntarily went to a Police Station.

Police spokesman Dwayne Caines declined to comment on the raid. "It is still very early in the investigation and we will reserve our comment until the appropriate time and forum," he said.

He said a 30-year-old Pembroke man had been taken into custody in connection with the Court Street shootings and was assisting Police with their inquiries.

A 26-year-old woman and two men, aged 21 and 30, all from Pembroke, needed surgery for gun wounds after the attack just after 2.30 a.m. on Monday. None of their injuries were life-threatening.

One of the victims is believed to be a younger half-brother of Bermudian football ace Shaun Goater, who plays in the English League One. Witnesses to the shootings are asked to call the Serious Crime Unit on 299-4315 or the confidential Crimestoppers hotline on 1-800-623-8477.