German landlord tries to collect rent with chainsaw

BERLIN - A landlord demanding rent arrears threatened tenants and German police with a whirring chainsaw, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.

The frightened tenants called police to the scene, and the 45-year-old man eventually dropped the chainsaw when the officers showed their guns.

The spokesman said the landlord was apparently trying to collect 13,000 euros ($22,620) in rent on a flat in the southern town of Burgau. He was charged with threatening bodily harm.