Olayomi Koiki

Leeds has been left reeling after a night of violence erupted on the streets. Riots exploded in Harehills in sickening acts of violence with an angry mob forcing police to flee for their lives.

A raging group of rioters flipped over a police car in the streets of Harehills, a suburb of the city in Yorkshire, after a disturbance reported at 5pm on Thursday (July 18) turned into an hours-long riot.

Footage posted on social media shows gangs of youths targeting a police car with officers sitting inside, before smashing the vehicle’s windows as onlookers film the carnage.

One man can be seen picking up a child’s scooter and using it to hammer the car’s windows. Extended footage then shows huge numbers of police officers turning up to try to quell the unrest and dispel the raging mob fighting in the street.

And a police inspector with West Yorkshire Police was even filmed on a social media video urging people to ‘stay in their houses’ amid the growing chaos. Riot police in protective gear were also seen being attacked.

Later in the evening, a double decker bus was then set alight. Dramatic footage showed the vehicle burning in front of the mass crowds.

West Yorkshire Police said they were initially called to an incident at an address on Luxor Street and found a ‘disturbance’ involving agency workers and children. More people then started to arrive before ‘pockets of disorder’ began breaking out in the area.

The incident was still ongoing as of 9.30pm. At the time, spokesperson for the force said: “At 5pm today (Thursday), police were called to an ongoing incident at an address in Luxor Street, Harehills.

“Officers attended and found an ongoing disturbance which involved some agency workers and some children. More people started to attend the location and a decision was made to remove the agency workers and the children to a safe place.

“A crowd started to gather and more officers were requested to attend the area, where some pockets of disorder were occurring.

“More officers have been deployed to the area to assist with the management of this incident. Some road closures are also being implemented and people are advised to avoid the area at this time. No injuries have been reported and enquiries are ongoing at the scene.”

This morning, burnt out cars lay stranded as a heavy police presence remains.

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