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From the
https://www.bbc.co.uk 20 September 2016.
Seven arrests over 'mass school brawl' in Erith.
Up to "100 schoolchildren" were involved in a fight on a street when
a mass brawl broke out, leaving two teenagers needing hospital
treatment.
Police were called to "a large fight" in Northumberland Heath in
Erith, south-east London, at about 17:40 BST on Monday.
Witnesses said baseball bats and concrete blocks had been used as
weapons during the brawl.
Seven people, aged between 15 and 21, have been arrested, police
said.
The injuries suffered by the two people in hospital, aged 15 and 19,
are not life threatening, the Met spokesperson added.
'Like a battle zone'
More than 100 youths, some of whom were in school uniform, were
involved in the fight which took place near the Duchess of Kent pub.
Witnesses said the numbers of people involved - including children
as young as 11 - grew during the afternoon.
Footage posted online showed people being kicked and hit with sticks
and poles.
Rachael Brunt described Northumberland Heath as "a battle zone with
debris of bats and table legs on the grass".
She said there was a "mixture of boys and girls" involved who
"started beating a lad to the ground, bashing him with lumps of
wood."
Shane Newman, who works in a local betting shop, said he saw
"several black youths" who "looked to be around 13 to 16 years
old... running up and down the street".
Once police arrived, they "advised all businesses to close early...
I left work as quickly as I could," he said.
The brawl took place near the Duchess of Kent pub in Erith.
A worker at 'Northumberland Heath Private Day Nursery, which is near
to where the fight happened, said some staff were kept inside the
school for two hours at the end of the day for their safety.
Owen Jeavons, 23, said there had been tension between students at
local schools when he was a teenager but called the brawl "something
new".
"I have never seen anything like it. It's such a quiet, peaceful
place", he said.
Jeanne Asquith wrote on Facebook: "Never seen anything like it and
I've lived here eight years... I just just hope the schools deal
with those involved. Most were wearing school uniform."
Chief Superintendent Jeff Boothe, the Metropolitan Police's borough
commander in Bexley:
"This incident was a large scale fight in a public area and would
have been shocking to anyone who witnessed it.
"In total over 40 calls were made to police by members of the public
and a number of incidents occurred across at least five different
locations.
"Every available officer within Bexley was deployed to assist with
the incident and support from the Territorial Support Group was
provided." |
