Cricket World Cup Birmingham fan, 17, arrested amid Pakistan vs Afghanistan chaos at Headingley
Detectives have launched an investigation after "unprecedented" crowd trouble at a Cricket World Cup match.
A number of arrests were made during the match between Pakistan and Afghanistan at the Headingley ground in Leeds on Saturday.
West Yorkshire Police said they received reports of people climbing over a wall, assaulting staff on a gate and a fan going on to the pitch.
Videos shared on social media show a fight between fans outside the ground, with a metal barrier being brandished, kicks, punches and shouting.
Police said mobile phone footage shows people being assaulted, and appealed for anyone who was a victim or witness of an attack, or who has original footage of the incidents, to get in touch.
A force spokesman said the investigation would focus on the most serious offences and aim to identify those responsible.
He said officers were initially called to a disturbance outside the stadium, in St Michael's Lane, involving a large group, with reports of some people climbing over a wall and assaulting staff on a gate shortly before 12pm on Saturday.
Two men, both aged 22 and from London, were arrested on suspicion of affray. One was later released without charge and the other was bailed pending further inquiries.
Further incidents were reported during and after the game, and a 17-year-old boy, from Birmingham, was arrested on suspicion of assault after going on to the pitch. He was later released without charge.
Superintendent Chris Bowen, head of operational policing for Leeds District, said police recognised the need for a "full and comprehensive criminal investigation" into the offences.
He said: "While these were isolated incidents, involving a relative minority of people attending the event, the scenes that were witnessed were completely unprecedented at a cricket match.
"The law-abiding majority will have been understandably concerned at what occurred and we need to send a very clear message that behaviour such as this is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.
"While we did not receive any direct reports of people being injured, the footage that is out there clearly shows people being assaulted during these incidents.
"We would like to hear from anyone who was a victim and from anyone who witnessed any incidents, particularly if they have uncut original source phone footage that could assist in identifying incidents or offenders."
Mr Bowen said crowd trouble at cricket was "relatively unheard of" and Saturday's match had been assessed as low risk, with no need for a police presence.
He said policing arrangements had now been reviewed and there would be an enhanced police presence and stewarding for matches at Headingley this week.
Steve Elworthy, International Cricket Council (ICC) Men's Cricket World Cup 2019 managing director, said: "We welcome and fully support a police investigation into the events at Headingley. We will not tolerate any anti-social behaviour that spoils the enjoyment for the majority of fans.
"The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup has been a fantastic celebration of cricket so far and it would be a shame if these isolated incidents, that are not common in our sport, overshadow this."
https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/cricket-world-cup-birmingham-fan-16523510
