Three were arrested on suspicion of theft and assault, while another three were arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker
Six teenagers have been arrested after a viral TikTok trend sparked scenes of utter chaos in south London, with locals tormented across two hellish nights in the swanky inner residential suburb of Clapham. Huge crowds of youths descended on Clapham High Street and at the nearby Clapham Common in what has been dubbed a social media “link-up”, with disorder breaking out across the first days of the Easter school holidays.
Similar scenes of disorder played out in Birmingham last Friday (March 27) after schools emptied for the Easter holidays, and in Clapham on Saturday (March 28) night. Videos were shared widely earlier this week.
Footage circulating online from Tuesday’s incident shows hundreds of young people seemingly causing disruption, with shoppers left terrified as groups attempted to force their way into shops and restaurants. Nearby, in the Common, fires were lit and fireworks set off.
“We popped into M&S to get some ingredients for dinner, and then we got locked inside.” She added that M&S were ordered by the Met Police officers to lock customers inside for their own safety.
“The police told M&S to lock the doors. So we were kind of waiting for a while to step out,” she said, adding: “Then the police escorted us out of M&S.” The Metropolitan Police confirmed that officers were called from around 5pm on Tuesday to reports of large groups gathering in Clapham, with around 100 officers deployed to bring the situation under control. Five people were allegedly assaulted during the chaos, including four police officers. One officer was taken to hospital after suffering an injury to his arm while making an arrest.
Three girls, a 17-year-old and two aged 13, were arrested on Tuesday night on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. The 17-year-old has been charged and bailed to appear at court later this month. The two 13-year-olds have been granted bail. The 17-year-old has since been charged and is due to appear in court later this month. Another three teenage girls were arrested on suspicion of theft and assault following anti-social behaviour involving a large group of young people in Clapham High Street on Saturday (March 28).
London’s Met Police have now issued a stark warning to youths and parents, insisting more arrests are on the way as officers comb through “significant” amounts of CCTV and bodycam footage. The force has also engaged the work of specialist teams to identify so-called “ring leaders” accused of organising and encouraging the chaos online.
A spokesperson said: “Just because you have not been arrested, does not mean you will not be.
“Ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend, the Met has also made clear that anyone involved in similar events or caught promoting them will be dealt with decisively.
‘We also expect social media companies to play their part by taking responsibility for content on their platforms that promotes or incites disorder.”
The force also issued a Section 35 dispersal order for the area, which allows police to direct individuals to leave a specified area for up to 48 hours if their presence or behaviour is likely to contribute to harassment, alarm, distress, crime or disorder. Additional officers have also been deployed to the Clapham area to ensure any antisocial behaviour is dealt with quickly, a Met Police spokesperson said as per an online statement. Investigations are ongoing, police said, with further arrests expected in the coming days.
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