A father-of-one who was driving to collect his daughter had his tyres punctured with a stinger device and ordered out of his van at gunpoint by armed police – only to be told they had got the wrong man.

Nathan Poole, 32, was driving near Ston Easton, in Somerset, at around 4pm last Friday when he was brought to an abrupt halt by armed police who threw a stinger across the road.

After ordering a petrified Mr Poole out his van, bungling police told him it was a case of mistaken identity and drove off in the opposite direction.

Mr Poole then waited 45 minutes for the police recovery truck to take him to a garage for new tyres.

When it finally arrived he was informed the van would be towed to the police compound in Wells and he would have to fork out £150 for a recovery charge.

Recalling the terrifying ordeal, Mr Poole said: ‘I nearly had a heart attack when it first happened. It was scary.

‘I was distracted by a man who was hiding behind a tree. He popped his head out which made me take my eyes off the road.

‘The next thing I knew was there was a noise under the van and all my tyres had gone. I originally thought I had driven over an animal or something.

‘I stopped the van and went to get out. I put one foot on the road and the next thing I knew was that there were two armed police pointing their guns at me. ‘They ordered me to get back into the van in a violent and authoritative tone.’

After ordering him out the van, police sheepishly told him they had got the wrong man.

They had actually been searching for Nicholas Caple, 29, who is still on the run.

He is wanted for burglary, assaulting a police officer and escaping police custody.

As police continued their unsuccessful search for Caple, Mr Poole was left stranded in his Vauxhall Vivaro – still 15 miles away from his two-year-old daughter Callie he was collecting.

Police insisted a police recovery truck would take him to a garage for new tyres and he could claim the money back from the force’s legal services team.

But when it turned up he was told he would have to pay a £150 fee to have the van towed to the police compound in Wells.

‘I said no way and basically he cancelled the job and left,’ said Mr Poole. ‘I phoned the company who own the van I was driving, they were amazing and they organised a mobile mechanic to come and fit four new tyres. They covered the cost too for which I am grateful.

After ordering him out the van, police sheepishly told him they had got the wrong man.

They had actually been searching for Nicholas Caple, 29, who is still on the run.

He is wanted for burglary, assaulting a police officer and escaping police custody.

As police continued their unsuccessful search for Caple, Mr Poole was left stranded in his Vauxhall Vivaro – still 15 miles away from his two-year-old daughter Callie he was collecting.

Police insisted a police recovery truck would take him to a garage for new tyres and he could claim the money back from the force’s legal services team.

But when it turned up he was told he would have to pay a £150 fee to have the van towed to the police compound in Wells.

‘I said no way and basically he cancelled the job and left,’ said Mr Poole. ‘I phoned the company who own the van I was driving, they were amazing and they organised a mobile mechanic to come and fit four new tyres. They covered the cost too for which I am grateful.