Seven people have been arrested following the large fight in Kensington, Liverpool, late on Thursday night, with police officers urging anyone with information to come forward
Seven men have been arrested following a large brawl in Kensington, Merseyside Police have confirmed. The fight, which erupted around 10pm on Thursday night, resulted in a 31 year old man being stabbed in the leg, leaving local residents “distressed.”
The suspects, aged between 18 and 34, were apprehended at the scene on suspicion of affray, assault, and possession of a prohibited weapon in a public place.
In light of community concerns, police have assured that they are treating the shocking incident with utmost seriousness and are appealing for anyone with information to step forward. A substantial cordon remains at the junction of Edge Lane and Holt Road as police continue door-to-door inquiries and forensic analysis as part of their investigation.
The violent episode was witnessed by pedestrians and drivers, many of whom would have been commuting in and out of the city when they observed the chaos. At least 17 police cars and five ambulances were counted at the scene by the ECHO, where one bystander recounted: “We were just coming down the road and we saw all the police cars. I’ve never seen so many police cars in my life. We have no idea what’s happened but we saw three people getting arrested and put in the back of police cars.”
Three men, aged 29, 19, and 31, have been nicked on suspicion of Section 18 assault and affray. An 18 year old lad has also been arrested on suspicion of Section 18 assault, affray, and possession of a banned weapon in public, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Two more men, aged 31 and 24, have been detained on suspicion of affray. The police are appealing to anyone who might have witnessed the brawl or captured it on doorbell or dashcam footage to come forward.
Chief Inspector Paul Rannard stated: “We are in the very early stages of this investigation. House-to-house inquiries are underway and forensic examinations and a review of CCTV footage from the area are being undertaken to ascertain what has happened.”
He added, “The incident happened at the junction of Holt Road and Edge Lane, and was witnessed by a number of motorists driving in and out of the city. We received numerous calls in relation to the disturbance and some of the callers were distressed by what they had witnessed. I would like to reassure those who witnessed the incident and the local community that we are taking this extremely seriously and [seven] people have been arrested.”
He urged, “If you witnessed what happened or have any information, please come forward. Similarly, if you live in the area, or were driving past, please check your CCTV, doorbell or dashcam footage to see if you captured anything. Even if it appears insignificant, please get in touch as it could prove vital to our inquiries.
“We are determined to establish the full circumstances of this incident. While we do this, it’s vital that people avoid speculation, especially on social media, which could unnecessarily increase anxiety and fear in the community.”
In a statement released around 1am, Merseyside Police confirmed: “We can confirm that seven have been arrested following reports that a group of males were involved in a fight in Kensington tonight, Thursday, 27 February.”
The statement continued, “Just after 10pm, a number of reports were received that there was a group of men fighting in the street at the junction of Hold Road and Edge Lane, and one of the men was believed to have a knife.”
The police further detailed the incident, stating, “At this stage of the inquiry it appears that a group men had attacked a 31-year-old man, who suffered a stab wound to his leg. He has been taken to hospital and his condition is not life threatening.”
They added, “Officers immediately attended and following initial inquiries seven men, were arrested.
“Three men, aged 29, 19 and 31 years have been arrested on suspicion of Section 18 assault and affray. An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of S18 assault, affray and possession of a prohibited weapon in a public place.
“An 18-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of Section 18 assault. And two men aged 31 and 24 years, have been arrested on suspicion of affray.”
