Crowds of youths ‘cough and spit’ at emergency workers responding to serious incident
Eggs were also thrown at frontline staff, claims police officer
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Large crowds of youths “coughed and spat” at frontline emergency workers dealing with a serious incident on Saturday night, a police officer has claimed.
PC Rachel Story, of West Yorkshire Police, also claimed that motorbike riders then threw eggs at officers dealing with the incident.
On her professional Twitter account, she wrote the crowds were stood “shoulder to shoulder” and spat on the floor.
PC Story said she had to wash her boots in Dettol when she finished her shift.
She tweeted: “So whilst scene guarding at a serious incident tonight we were faced with large crowds shoulder to shoulder, spitting on the floor and coughing at us when asking them to move back.
“Yes coughing then the target of egg throwers on passing motorbikes ... just WHY? no excuse!”
PC Charlotte Nicholls, also of West Yorkshire Police, replied: “It was just vile. I had to wash my boots last night when I got home as I couldn’t stop thinking about the amount of spit I’d stood in!!”
The claim comes as pubs and restaurants in the UK have been ordered to close by Boris Johnson to tackle the spread of coronavirus.
Over the weekend, neighbouring North Yorkshire Police were forced to issue a warning to parents asking them to stop children from gathering in large crowds.
The force said it would arrest any youths caught committing antisocial behaviour offences.
Official government guidance states that people should not go out in groups and anyone out in public should maintain a distance of at least two metres.
SWNS
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments