Three teenagers have been arrested after a 17-year-old boy was ‘attacked with a sword’ close to a school on Friday morning.
Armed police launched a manhunt and five schools were placed into lockdown following reports of an altercation in Chalford Road, close to St Peter’s High School in Tuffley, Gloucester, shortly after 8.50am.
On Saturday, a 19-year-old man from Gloucester was arrested overnight on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray, Gloucestershire Police said.
An 18-year-old man, also from Gloucester, handed himself into police this morning, and has been arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon, assault occasioning actual bodily harm and affray.
Police said a 17-year-old boy from Gloucester was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender on Saturday morning.
All three teenagers remain in police custody for questioning.
A woman who had been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender was released on police bail last night pending further enquiries.
On Friday, officers said they had been searching for a man seen holding a ‘long-bladed’ item, who subsequently fled from the scene, alongside another male.
Police said they had been seen chasing two boys.
One of the victims, a boy aged 17, sustained a superficial wound believed to have been caused by the sword.
Three teenagers have been arrested after a 17-year-old boy was ‘attacked with a sword’ close to St Peter’s High School in Tuffley, Gloucester, on Friday morning. Pictured: Officers outside the school yesterday
Video emerging on social media appeared to show a man dressed fully in black, with a balaclava covering most of his face, wielding a curved sword
The secondary school was one of five placed into lockdown in the area following the incident
A second victim, also 17, was unharmed by the incident.
Video that emerged on social media yesterday appeared to show a man dressed fully in black, with a balaclava covering most of his face, wielding a curved sword.
The man is then seen being approached by a young male during the short clip.
Pupils from St Peter’s High School were crying and visibly distressed as they were collected by parents around three hours after the academy went into lockdown.
Several parents said they were shaken when the school emailed them with details of what had occurred.
Emma White, 50, who has a 12-year-old son and a daughter, 14, at the school, said she ‘instinctively’ went to collect them after a work colleague informed her there was an ongoing incident.
She said she had managed to speak to both children on their phones while they were in their classrooms, but added: ‘I was still frantic because we weren’t told whether the incident was in or outside the school. It’s really shocking.’
Her son said pupils initially thought a prolonged bell which sounded just before 9am this morning was a fire alarm.
‘We were all going out from the classroom but then called back into class and told we were in lockdown, because there was an incident on the green over the road from the school,’ the boy said.
‘There are about 30 children in my class and the form teacher locked the door when we got back inside and told us all to be quiet.
‘I was terrified. I think we all were because even though we have had a drill like this before, no one thought anything like this would happen for real.
‘We were told it was a fight outside the school and that we were safe. I phoned my mum and dad and my older brother and he cheered me up talking about football.’
Another parent, Catherine, who was picking up her 12-year-old son, said she was relieved the incident appeared to have been dealt with and none of the children or staff had been hurt.
‘The school did let us know the children were all safe but you just don’t know what’s happening,’ she said. ‘It’s scary.
‘There is a drug problem round here, not at the school but in the area so what happened this morning, could be something to do with that.’
Elliott, who was picking up his tearful 14-year-old daughter, praised the school for alerting parents so soon after the incident was reported.
‘Of course, parents weren’t going to stay away after knowing there had been a knife fight,’ he said. ‘These are crazy times and you just never know whether it’s kids or adults tooling up with weapons these days.’
Another local parent who has a son at nearby Willow Primary Academy had a text to say that school was also going into lockdown as a precaution.
She said: ‘I was told there was a fight between two or three older teenagers, one had a machete and the other had a pole and it was on the green outside my house.
‘I didn’t see it because I was on the school run at the time but there were loads of police cars in the road as I was walking back home.’
Gloucestershire Police said on Friday that one male being sought was described as white, in his late teens to early 20s, of a medium to large build, around 6ft in height and wearing white sliders.
The other male was described as white, around 5ft 5ins tall and of a skinny build, who was wearing black clothing.
Concerned parents were seen gathering outside the school in Tuffley, Gloucester
A police presence was maintained close to the scene of the incident throughout Friday
Detective Inspector Sophie Dawkins from the Constabulary’s criminal investigation department said on Friday afternoon: ‘We completely understand the concern this incident would have caused, especially when it happened near a school at drop off time.
‘We’ve had armed officers searching the area, along with support from our drone unit and the National Police Air Service, and work is ongoing to identify and locate those involved.
‘Numerous enquiries have been taking place and officers from the neighbourhood team have been in the area throughout the day to reassure parents that there is not thought to be a wider threat.
‘We are now keen to hear from anyone who has not already spoken to police who witnessed what happened or who has dashcam or any other footage.’
Anyone with information is asked to contact police quoting reference 53260095808.
