Video shows man in van wielding weapon in Preston city centre fight
A video showing a fight between two groups of men in Preston city centre – one who appeared to be armed with a large bladed weapon – has surfaced online.
The shocking footage filmed by Bianco 24/7 takeaway in Friargate shows the violent confrontation outside Roper Hall late on Wednesday night (August 10).
In the video, two men in a van with a United Utilities logo scuffle with another group of men in the street.
One of the men from the van brandished what appeared to be a large bladed weapon and the other was armed with a spade.
The other group rush at the pair, knocking one of them to the ground, before running away with the keys to the van.
No one appeared to be hurt in the fracas before the video ends.
What happened?
One of the men allegedly involved in the incident contacted the Post to explain what happened.
He said: “There was an altercation, that is a metal bar in his hand, not a machete and he was protecting himself.
"If you watch the video, the other lads actually take the key from the van and run off.
"I was involved, I’ve contacted the police and I’m going to be going into the station to clear this up.”
He added that the incident was resolved without anyone being hurt.
"You can see on the video we shake hands after the event,” he said. “We got the keys to the van back after finding out who was involved.”
What do police say?
Lancashire Police said the incident was not reported, but it will investigate after viewing the ‘shocking’ video.
A spokesman for the force said: “This is a shocking video and, now that we have been made aware of it, we will investigate the incident.
"We will take a zero tolerance approach against those who carry knives unlawfully and we will continue to use all appropriate powers available to us to keep communities safe.
" We would ask people to be vigilant and to provide us with information about knife crime if they believe it is happening in their area.”
What do United Utilities say?
United Utilities said it has managed to identify the van and say it isn’t one of their owned or hired vehicles.