UMVA has learned that a disturbing scene unfolded on the streets of south London after a 16-year-old girl's birthday party spiralled out of control, attracting hundreds of teenagers who clashed with police.
The girl's mother had booked a community centre for 100 friends and family, but the event details were shared online, leading to an influx of 400 more teenagers who crashed the party on Monday afternoon.
Witnesses described the chaos as the teenagers, many of whom had come straight from school on buses, arrived at the venue in Twelve Acres House, Avondale Square estate, with some carrying knives and drinking booze.
Neighbours reported that the teenagers were hiding blades in bushes or throwing them away when police arrived at around 5pm, with footage shared on social media showing a mob being dispersed by massively outnumbered police officers.
A mother of two autistic children, aged five and 13, recounted the terrifying experience of having a knife lobbed into her back garden when police arrived, saying, 'It was terrifying. A knife was lobbed over my wall, what if it had hit one of my kids.'
The mother described the scene as 'out of control, like a war zone', with the teenagers doing nitrous oxide with balloons and refusing to budge when police tried to clear the area, taking hours to regain control.
Another witness described the 'horrendous' scene, with boys and girls getting off buses after school, some still in uniform, seeming high or drunk, and making a terrible racket, leaving the community centre staff and residents scared and intimidated.
A staff member at the estate office revealed that the mum had booked her daughter's 16th birthday party at the venue on the understanding that 100 was the maximum capacity, but the chaos that ensued has led to a review of the community centre's party policy.
Estate workers cleared up the debris early the next morning, with police investigation aided by extensive CCTV footage, leading to the arrest of four teenagers on suspicion of violent disorder and charges against several others for various offences.
A Met police spokesperson assured that officers had remained in the area to offer reassurance to local residents and deter further offending, saying, 'We are aware of the impact that incidents like this can have on the local community.'
