‘Windows smashed and youths climb over police cars’ after chaos at …

Chaos caused by gang of young people in Reading town centre shopping mall (Image: Newsquest) A HUGE group of 50 youths stormed Broad Street Mall causing chaos last night, shopworkers have said. Windows were smashed and teenagers were seen climbing over police cars after disorder errupted at the Reading town centre shopping mall, witnesses told this newspaper.

Thames Valley Police confirmed there was a heavy police presence around the mall after multiple reports of distruption, disorder and criminal damage on Tuesday evening. According to local shop owners and employees, the disorder which started earlier that day, resulted in around 50 people storming the building. Speaking to The Chronicle, an employee from Sally's said: "There were a lot of rumours about different things happening throughout the day in Broad Street Mall.

"Around 6pm/7pm it became absolute chaos. There were young people storming the area, police turned up and some of them were actually climbing on the police cars. "It wasn't until around 5:50pm that four young people smashed the windows on the doors of Broad Street Mall and the chaos came to ahead.

"We have seen quite a lot of trouble over the last six months. The security definitely needs to be increased in the area because it's quite worrying and unfortunately some of the cameras around the outside of Broad Street Mall aren't working." Another employee in Broad Street Mall, Sibel Mehmedova said: "We normally get a few groups of young people come into the centre around 6 o'clock to do some filming for Tik Tok but that isn't what was happening.

"Between 6pm and 7pm, I heard lots of people running and shouting through the building. It was quite worrying." A statement from Thames Valley Police on their social media said: "You may have seen a large police presence to incidents at Broad Street Mall earlier today.

Officers were responding to reports of disorder and incidents of criminal damage." Thames Valley Police confirmed this morning that an incident concerning a knife and threatening behaviour occured early yesterday evening. Story continues

They said: "Thames Valley Police was called to a report of a man being threatened with a knife in Broad Street around 5.30pm yesterday (11/4). "Officers attended and a 40-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon in a public place, obstructing/resisting a constable in the execution of duty and assaulting an emergency worker. He remains in custody.

"A 19-year-old man from Reading was also arrested on suspicion of affray and has been released on bail."

Broad Street Mall said: "We are aware of the incident that took place at Broad Street Mall yesterday and we are assisting the police with their investigation."