Girl, 13, arrested after ‘gang with machetes brawl and assault police’ at cinema

A 13-year-old girl is among five teenagers who have been arrested following a mass brawl at a cinema.

She was detained alongside two boys and a girl, aged 14, and a 19-year-old man following the fight at the Star City entertainment complex, in Birmingham, that involved 100 youths.

In total seven police officers left with minor facial injuries as they tried to deal with the crowds that were armed with machetes.

The theatre was packed when the fight broke out at around 5.30pm as children queued up to see Frozen 2.

Superintendent Ian Green said: ‘This was a major outbreak of trouble which left families who were just trying to enjoy a night out at the cinema understandably frightened.

‘We worked quickly to move the crowds on but were met with a very hostile response and officers had to draw Tasers to restore order.

‘Thankfully, the injuries to our officers were very minor.

‘We understand that families with young children will have been left upset by what they saw last night, but we urge people to appreciate that our aim last night was to protect the public and restore order, and that’s what we achieved.

West Midlands Police, who are still trying to figure out what caused the incident, confirmed they were looking at video footage taken of the incident.

They asked anyone who had more footage to get in touch.

Two machetes and knife were seized near the venue.

Management at the cinema made the decision to close for the evening following the fight.

A dispersal order gave officers the power to move crowds on and arrest those who refused.

By 9pm, the area was largely clear with many held on suspicion of assaulting police, with officers suffering minor facial injuries.

Star City is home to one of Europe’s largest Cinemas and England’s largest Indoor Adventure Golf Course.

Update:

Vue Cinemas has now banned the Blue Story film from all its cinemas following the mass brawl.

A voice message from the company said: ‘We regret that we will no longer be screening the film Blue Story at any of our venues.

‘Should you have a booking for this film, please say cancellation when prompted and a member of our team will be with you shortly to assist you with your booking.’