Armed officers are searching for two men after two teenagers were reportedly attacked with a sword near a school in Gloucester. A woman has been arrested in connection with the incident.
Five schools were placed under lockdown after reports of an altercation in Chalford Road, near St Peter’s High School in Tuffley, shortly after 8.50am on Friday.
Police initially said they were looking for a man seen carrying a “long-bladed” weapon. He is believed to have fled the area with another man.
The pair were reportedly seen chasing two boys.
Footage circulating on social media appears to show a man dressed entirely in black, with a balaclava covering most of his face, holding a curved sword.
The short video then appears to show a young man approaching him.
Gloucestershire Police said this afternoon that a woman had been arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender after officers stopped a vehicle.
Pupils at St Peter’s High School were seen crying and visibly upset as parents collected them about three hours after the academy went into lockdown.
Armed officers are searching for two men, including one reportedly seen carrying a sword, near St Peter’s High School in Tuffley, Gloucester, on Friday morning. Officers were pictured outside the school
Footage shared on social media appears to show a man in black clothing and a balaclava wielding a curved sword
The secondary school was among five schools placed under lockdown after the incident
Several parents said they were left shaken after receiving an email from the school explaining what had happened.
Emma White, 50, whose 12-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter attend the school, said she “instinctively” went to collect them after a colleague told her there was an incident nearby.
She managed to speak to both children by phone while they remained in their classrooms, but said she was still “frantic” because it was unclear whether the incident had taken place inside or outside the school. “It’s really shocking,” she said.
Her son said pupils initially believed a prolonged bell shortly before 9am was a fire alarm.
“We were all leaving the classroom, but then we were called back in and told we were in lockdown because there had been an incident on the green across the road from the school,” he said.
“There are about 30 children in my class. When we got back inside, the form teacher locked the door and told everyone to be quiet.”
“I was terrified, and I think we all were. We’ve had a drill like this before, but nobody expected anything like it to happen for real.”
“We were told it was a fight outside the school and that we were safe. I called my mum, dad and older brother, and he cheered me up by talking about football.”
Another parent, Catherine, who was collecting her 12-year-old son, said she was relieved the incident appeared to be over and that no children or staff had been injured.
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“The school did tell us that all the children were safe, but you just don’t know what’s happening,” she said. “It’s scary.”
“I saw an older teenage boy carrying a large knife outside a house down the road from the school last week and called the police. I don’t know whether it was the same person involved in today’s incident.”
“There is a drug problem in the area—not at the school—but what happened this morning could be connected to that.”
Elliott, who collected his tearful 14-year-old daughter, praised the school for informing parents soon after the incident was reported.
“Of course parents weren’t going to stay away once they knew there had been a knife fight,” he said. “These are crazy times, and you never know whether it’s children or adults carrying weapons these days.”
Another local parent, whose son attends nearby Willow Primary Academy, said she received a message informing her that the school was also entering lockdown as a precaution.
She said: “I was told there had been a fight involving two or three older teenagers. One had a machete and another had a pole, and it happened on the green outside my house.”
“I didn’t see it because I was on the school run at the time, but there were lots of police cars in the road as I walked home.”
Gloucestershire Police described one of the men being sought as white, in his late teens or early 20s, with a medium-to-large build. He is around 6ft tall and was wearing white sliders.
The second man was described as white, approximately 5ft 5ins tall and of a slim build. He was wearing black clothing.
One of the victims, a 17-year-old boy, suffered a superficial injury believed to have been caused by the sword. Despite earlier reports, he was not taken to hospital.
Concerned parents gathered outside the school in Tuffley, Gloucester
Police maintained a presence near the scene throughout the day
A second 17-year-old victim was not physically injured.
The arrested woman remained in custody for questioning on Friday evening.
Detective Inspector Sophie Dawkins, from the constabulary’s criminal investigation department, said: “We fully understand the concern this incident has caused, particularly as it happened near a school at drop-off time.”
“Armed officers have been searching the area, supported by our drone unit and the National Police Air Service. Work is continuing to identify and locate those involved.”
“Officers have carried out numerous enquiries, while neighbourhood teams have remained in the area throughout the day to reassure parents that there is not believed to be any wider threat.”
“We are now appealing to anyone who has not yet spoken to police, particularly witnesses or anyone with dashcam or other footage, to come forward.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact police, quoting reference 53260095808.