Illegal Berkshire rave leads to two-hour stand off, five arrests
Unlicensed events continue to be problematic in the UK. Thames Valley officials found themselves in a two-hour stand off the evening of November 18 in an attempt to shut down an illegal Berkshire rave of approximately 300 people.
Hosted on land near the M4 highway, the volume of the party’s sound system began to rattle the windows of a nearby hotel, attracting police to the site at 8 PM in response to a disturbance call. Thames Valley Police proceeded to make five arrests after arriving on the scene, on counts of suspicion of attempting to assault police and possession to supply drugs. A 29-year-old man has additionally been charged with one count of failure to leave a rave.
Partygoers reportedly became violent, launching missiles at officials in defiance, thus prompting police to call in dog units, five riot vans, and a helicopter as backup. Police temporarily closed off the M4 after successfully ending the unlicensed event to keep ravers out of the road.
“This was an event which took place in which members of the public put themselves in danger by taking drugs and going on to the M4 carriageway. Thankfully it was resolved without serious injury,” Chief Inspector Graham Hadley said of the situation. “Illegal unlicensed music events are dangerous and there is little regard for public safety and we will continue to deal with reports of such events robustly.”
A bystander captured footage of the extensive standoff, sharing the video to YouTube.
H/T: Mixmag
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Categories: Music