Violence Erupts in Solihull After England's Semi-Final Loss
Bottles and glasses were thrown as violence erupted in Solihull following England's World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina. A 65-year-old woman was also assaulted but not seriously injured as hundreds of people gathered in the town centre on Wednesday night (July 15).
West Midlands Police said a dispersal order was put in place in the town centre to give officers extra powers to deal with those committing crime and causing anti-social behaviour. Six people were arrested, including a 16-year-old girl.
Arrests and Charges
Two men, aged 18 and 27, were arrested on suspicion of violent disorder, while an 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting an emergency worker and violent disorder. A 17-year-old and a 21-year-old were also arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer, possession of class A drugs, and violent disorder. All five remain in custody for questioning.
A 16-year-old girl was arrested for a public order offence but has since been bailed while the investigation continues.
Police Response and Appeal
Neighbourhood Chief Inspector Lucy Wilson, for Solihull, said: “We won’t tolerate this kind of behaviour on our streets, it places innocent members of the public in danger when they are trying to enjoy their evening, but also our officers who are simply doing their job and keeping the public safe.”
She added: “We had plenty of resources available and were ready to deal with any incidents that occurred, this resulted in us quickly putting a dispersal order in place. This gave us the powers to move people on who were causing a nuisance, committing crime, and engaging in antisocial behaviour.”
Several videos of the chaos in Poplar Road after Argentina's 2-1 win were posted on social media. One showed a baton-wielding officer pushing a man away, another showed an officer swinging at a man, and further footage showed officers wrestling a man to the ground while another was pushed against a wall.
Anyone who was in the area, has any information, CCTV or mobile phone footage that could assist the investigation is asked to call 101 or use the live chat at www.west-midlands.police.uk, quoting incident number 5948 of 15 July.
