Five teenagers, including a 13-year-old girl, have been arrested after a huge brawl involving machetes broke out in a Birmingham cinema.
Seven
police officers sustained facial injuries during the incident at Star City, in the Nechells area of the city, shortly after 5.30pm on Saturday.
They found a group of more than 100 people there, and said “pockets of fighting” had broken out.
Two of the machetes and another knife were seized, West Midlands Police said, after a dispersal order was used to break up the group.
Officers were forced to draw tasers in order to dispel the chaos.
A 13-year-old girl, a girl and a boy, both aged 14, and a 19-year-old man were held on suspicion of assaulting police.
Another 14-year-old boy was arrested on suspicion of obstructing police.
One eyewitness said that “a young boy was crying on the floor with his mother” as a number of young people started fighting.Rachael Allison told the PA news agency: “The police told everyone to leave the cinema as they held Taser guns in their hands and started to bring in guard dogs.
“I spoke to a policeman who told me it is unclear whether the kids had weapons and also stated when kids fight they bring their group of friends.”
Another eyewitness described it as “one of the scariest moments of [her] life”, as she queued to watch the new Frozen film with her daughter.
Choleigh McGuire said: “Armed police come, Tasers come, all of the people that were fighting ran off into the cinema, hiding. I am shaking. Was here with my sister and niece. Horrendous being in that situation when it's just you but when you're with children, your family, absolutely terrifying. Sickening having to be evacuated by police with tasers and dogs when all you wanted to do was watch Frozen #starcityhttps://t.co/1J1RqLmC6i— Charlotte (@clsadventure) November 23, 2019 Investigators have asked anyone with any video or pictures of the incident to get in touch.
Superintendent Ian Green said: “This was a major outbreak of trouble which left families who were just trying to enjoy a night-out at the cinema understandably frightened.
“We […] were met with a very hostile response and officers had to draw tasers to restore order.
“It’s clear that some of those who went to Star City last night were intent on causing trouble.”Related... One Man Dead And Three Injured After Stabbing In East London