Machete incident prompts lockdown at Royal Leamington Spa College, police say
A 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of attempted wounding and possession of an offensive weapon; two others detained in a separate incident outside the college.
Police are investigating after a social media video appeared to show a pupil pulling a machete from his trousers and swinging the blade at another student during a confrontation in a busy student social area at Royal Leamington Spa College in Warwickshire. The 39-second clip, reportedly captured yesterday, prompted the college to go into lockdown as officers attended the scene. The footage has been circulated on X by Turning Point UK, an offshoot of the American student pressure group founded by Charlie Kirk, which says the video shows yesterday's incident.
Warwickshire Police would not confirm the video’s authenticity but said it was desperate to obtain footage posted on social media as part of its inquiries. A 17-year-old boy was arrested at his home on suspicion of attempted wounding and possession of an offensive weapon, and searches are being carried out at the residence as part of the investigation. Officers were at the campus and two other boys were arrested outside the college in a separate incident on suspicion of violent disorder.
Chief Inspector Simon Ryan, policing commander for South Warwickshire, described yesterday’s incident as terrifying and said officers had taken prompt action to detain a suspect. "A 17-year-old boy was arrested a short time later at his home following enquiries at the scene. He has been arrested on suspicion of attempt to wounding and possession of an offensive weapon. We are carrying out searches at his home as part of the investigation. Nobody was injured. At this time, we believe the incident was part of a disagreement and we don’t believe there is any further risk to the community. We are aware of footage of the incident on social media, and this is forming part of our enquiries. I’d encourage anyone with video footage to contact police. We will maintain a police presence at the school, and I’d urge anyone with concerns to speak to one of our officers." The college said it went into lockdown following advice from police while officers conducted their investigation.
"We’d like to thank students, staff and parents for their patience and cooperation during this time," the college said in a statement. "The safety and wellbeing of our students and staff are of utmost importance to us, and we will continue to work with external agencies to ensure our campuses are a safe place to study and work." The Daily Mail has contacted the college for further comment.