Birmingham Star City: Police officers assaulted in brawl at cinema following ‘machete’ reports
‘One of the scariest experiences of my life,’ says eyewitness
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Police were attacked after they responded to reports of a group armed with machetes at a cinema in Birmingham.
Officers arrived at Star City shortly after 5.30pm on Saturday to find more than 100 people at the complex, including children waiting to see the new “Frozen 2“ film.
When they tried to clear the area, “pockets of fighting broke out”, according to West Midlands Police.
“A number of police officers have been assaulted, and several arrests have been made,” the force added.
A dispersal order was also put in place to give officers power to arrest anyone who refused to leave the area.
Eyewitness Choleigh McGuire said the fight started as she queued up with her daughter for “Frozen 2”.
“There was a fight in the cinema... group of girls on one girl and it all escalated,” she wrote on Twitter. “The group ran into the cinema rooms to hide and a lot of police turned up
“Has to be one of the scariest experiences of my life, so sad all the little children were there!”
Rachel Allison said she saw the fight start as she queued for snacks before watching Blue Story, a film about gang violence in south London.
“The police told everyone to leave the cinema as they held Taser guns in their hands and started to bring in dogs,” she added.
“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 said that “a young boy was crying on the floor with his mother” as several youths began fighting.
West MIdlands Police said in a statement: “A number of arrests have been made following disorder at Star City in Birmingham tonight.
“We were called just before 5.35pm to reports that a group of people with machetes had arrived at the cinema within the complex.
“Officers arrived to find a group of more than 100 people, and pockets of fighting broke out as police moved to clear the area.
“Officers remain at the scene and are liaising closely with management at the venue. Motorists are urged to avoid the area because of traffic build-up.”
Additional reporting by Press Association