15 Police Officers Injured After Street Party in South London

By Staff, Agencies

An impromptu block party in Brixton, South London resulted in chaos after police called to the scene were assaulted and forced to flee. At least 15 officers were injured.

Officers came under attack by a large crowd that had assembled near Angell Town estate in Brixton, according to media reports. Footage shows a column of police facing off with the crowd.

They appear to be dodging projectiles as they attempt to clear the streets. As well as the officers' injuries in the overnight incident, several law-enforcement vehicles were also attacked.

London police said in a statement that they had been called to the scene due to noise and public safety complaints, but that the crowd refused to cooperate. The group eventually became “hostile” towards officers, the force claimed.

Police Commander Colin Wingrove stressed that the violence was “totally unacceptable” and would not be tolerated. Home Secretary Priti Patel also condemned the “utterly vile scenes” that occurred during the fracas.

One video shows a man using the leg of a table to smash in the windshield of an abandoned police car. Another clip shows a police van coming under attack.

At least four arrests were made before police were forced to withdraw.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan described Wednesday night’s events as “unacceptable” and claimed that the large street gathering also posed a health risk due to coronavirus.

Police say the unlawful gathering was eventually dispersed early morning Thursday.

Brixton has been the scene of a number of violent incidents over the years, including shootings and stabbings.