Mobs of youths ran wild in Clapham once again on Tuesday evening with terrified families barricaded inside high street stores in the latest wave of Easter holiday chaos.
Clips circulating on social media showed crowds of teens tearing through the neighbourhood in south London, terrorising locals and forcing shops to close.
Metropolitan Police vehicles could be seen desperately trying to move through the throng of rioters who took to the streets in broad daylight on Tuesday afternoon, responding to a social media trend encouraging teens to ‘linkup’ en masse.
The force confirmed two teenage girls have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker, and a dispersal order has been put in place.
The Marks and Spencer on the high street – which was looted by a similar flash mob over the weekend leading to two arrests – shut early amid fears of a further raid on its aisles.
A security guard working for the supermarket told the Daily Mail they had to lock shoppers in for a short while, before gradually allowing them to be escorted out by officers.
Meanwhile, a local Waitrose also closed its doors, sticking a ‘police advised’ closure notice onto its front door, and Boot’s was targeted ‘very badly’, according to witnesses.
Further videos showed large groups of balaclava-clad youths gathering outside a McDonald’s restaurant in the area as marked and unmarked police cars raced to the scene.
Mobs of youths are running wild in Clapham once again with terrified families barricaded inside high street stores in the latest wave of Easter holiday chaos
Police vehicles could be seen desperately trying to move through the throng of rioters who took to the streets in broad daylight on Tuesday afternoon
And families were reportedly ‘barricaded’ inside a local Sainsbury’s as teenagers, many of whom dressed in all black, claimed control of the busy high street.
Both McDonald’s and Sainsbury’s were forced to shut before their scheduled time amid the mob disruption.
By 10.30pm, the commotion had died down with police able to disperse a majority of the participants.
Employees at local shops said they were ‘scared’ as chaos reigned along the heaving road with cars coming to a standstill and commuters ducking for cover, or opting to film the scene using their smartphones.
Fires were spotted burning on the fields of Clapham Common as police swooped in to extinguish them, sending smoke billowing into the air.
Dozens of officers broke into the huge crowd of teens in a bid to disperse the mob, but most of the participants appeared to hold their ground.
The riot raged on into the evening with around 60 teenagers facing off with police attempting to disperse participants.
Officers arrived in four vehicles, including two vans, to separate a group gathering outside the Common’s basketball courts but many teens simply dashed past them while others shouted jibes at cops as they walked past.
Lime bikes lay scattered across the ground and a stench of cannabis hung in the air as youths gathered into intimidatingly large groups both on the street and in the park.
Mohammed, a security guard for M&S, said: ‘Police warned us there would be chaos so we prepared for it because of what happened last Saturday.
‘There were loads of kids sprinting and shouting and police advised all the shops to close for one hour.’
He added that the supermarket decided instead to just close for the day and not reopen, but some shoppers remained inside.
‘Police knew roughly the time today,’ he said. ‘They said it would start at around 4pm so they were here since midday. But the chaos happened at 7pm.
‘We had to lock shoppers in, at 8.15pm we let them out one by one with police and and security holding the doors shut and escorting them out.
‘Shoppers were very scared. There was one lady with a pram and a baby. She was terrified but police escorted her to safety.’
Mohammed added that the rioters targeted a branch of Boot’s which was not as well prepared for the chaos as other shops.
Fires could be spotted burning on the fields of Clapham Common as police swooped in to put them out, sending smoke billowing into the air
Clips circulating on social media see crowds of children tearing through the neighbourhood in south London, terrorising locals and forcing shops to close
‘It felt like Notting Hill carnival,’ the security guard said. ‘I’ve only seen something similar happen during the carnival when I worked at the Notting Hill branch.’
An employee at Roosters Spot chicken shop said: ‘Police told us to shut our shop and after we reopened we were warned not to let any kids come in today.
‘We were scared because we heard groups of 10 to 15 of them were coming into shops, running about, picking up trays and smashing stuff at walls.’
A spokesperson for the Metropolitan Police said: ‘Police are responding to an ongoing incident on Clapham High Street following reports of a large crowd of young people causing anti-social behaviour.
‘Officers are on the scene, and a dispersal order has been put in place, meaning anyone congregating must leave the area.
‘At this time two teenage girls have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker. They have been taken to custody.
‘Officers will remain in the area to offer support and respond to any concerns from local residents and businesses.’
It comes after a mass ‘linkup’ that saw a wild mob of youths run riot in a M&S store and terrorise the streets of Clapham on Saturday was arranged in advance online on yet another day in Lawless London.
Police were forced to issue a dispersal order and two 16-year-old girls and one 15-year-old girl were arrested for shoplifting and assault during the crazed gathering of over 100 teenagers.
Footage posted on social media showed police officers watching on as an army of youngsters stormed through the supermarket.
Officers attempted to control the frenzied crowd as they shoved each other while running down the frozen food aisle before a brawl broke out that left one girl in tears.
Other videos showed them running through the high street squealing and shouting as confused onlookers stood frozen in fear.
They also ambushed other shops in the area, including a Sainsbury’s where a young girl was filmed hitting a police officer and another seen running out of the shop and away from officers.
Videos and comments from teenagers who attended suggest the meet-up was arranged on social media with many calling it ‘the Clapham courts linkup’ and others simply referring to it as ‘Clapham courts’ or ‘courts’.
‘I was gonna go but none of my friends wanted to go,’ said one comment.
The chaotic scenes took place on the first day of the Easter holidays as it raised concerns that this might happen again while Britain’s youth is away from school.
Another video showing two girls smiling and dancing at home seemed to be referencing tonight’s second ‘linkup’ with a caption reading: ‘How we feel knowing it’s gonna be live at Clapham Courts on Tuesday.’
Footage showed Saturday’s large gathering initially meeting up at Clapham Common netball and basketball courts before spilling out on to the streets as the atmosphere became increasingly chaotic.
A clip of the incident has since gone viral on social media, with viewers branding the ordeal yet another example of lawless London.
A mob of teenagers took over a Marks and Spencer food hall in Clapham on Saturday
The riot raged on into the evening with scores of teenagers facing off with police attempting to disperse participants
A Met Police spokesperson said of Saturday’s mob incident: ‘Tackling shoplifting and anti-social behaviour continues to be a priority for the Met, and we’re doing more to take action against offenders and support local businesses.
‘This proactive approach saw a 44 per cent increase in arrests last year, while shoplifting across London fell by four per cent.
‘At around 16:45hrs on Saturday, 28 March, police responded to reports of a group of around 100 young people causing anti-social behaviour and stealing from a number of businesses on Clapham High Street.
‘Officers imposed a dispersal order and made three arrests. Three girls, two aged 16 and one 15-year-old girl, were arrested for shoplifting and assault. They have since been bailed.’
