Convoy of armed masked men smash up homes
A BALACLAVACLAD gang arrived in convoy on a Middlesbrough street and attacked homes with sledgehammers.
A video shared widely on social media shows the group storm a corner plot of homes in Brettenham Avenue.
The footage shows the gang, dressed in dark clothing and wearing balaclavas, split off in different directions and attack several houses on the street.
Loud bangs can be heard as the sledgehammers hit the properties, before one of the attackers shouts: “Tell him he’s dead.”
The incident happened at around 7pm on Saturday with the video being shared hundreds of times.
A still from it shows the masked men, who reportedly turned up in a convoy of vehicles, carrying the weapons.
Cleveland Police confirmed they received several calls as the drama unfolded in Easterside but said the suspects had left the scene when officers arrived. Detectives are now investigating.
Photos taken yesterday show the aftermath of the attack, with the damaged properties boarded up.
Residents spoke of the “scary” ordeal, with one mum saying her child has been left “traumatised”.
One neighbour said he was in his front room when the gang started smashing the front windows.
“They all had balaclavas on, it was just pandemonium,” he said.
“I was sat down and heard an almighty bang, and when I got up to open the door they smashed the window and then left.”
The man said the group of people were carrying “sledgehammers and baseball bats” and that “all the kids were playing on the green” when they arrived.
He said he didn’t know why the incident had occurred.
Some residents were wary of speaking, with one person adding: “Loose lips sink ships.” One mum explained how the incident left her child traumatised after she witnessed a gang of “25 lads” run out carrying a number of weapons, one she described as a machete.
She said: “About 25 lads ran out from five cars. The kids were all traumatised – [my child] came running in shouting at us. I grabbed them and ran up the stairs – it was brutal.
“Every single one of them had balaclavas on.
“We shut the blinds straight away. The kids are petrified, and they won’t go to sleep without the light on. Every little noise they think it is them coming back again.”
Another nearby resident added: “It was awful, it was like watching something on the TV. In all my years, I’ve never seen anything like this, it’s very scary.
“No kids have been playing out on the green ever since, and the green is normally full of kids.”
A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: “Police received several calls at around 7pm on Saturday evening regarding a large group of men who had arrived in several vehicles and were causing damage to a number of houses in Brettenham Avenue, Middlesbrough.
“Officers attended however the suspects had left the scene. Enquiries by Middlesbrough CID are under way, and we would appeal for anyone with information which could help to contact Cleveland Police on the 101-number quoting ref 109520.
“If you don’t want to speak to police, you can pass information anonymously to www.crimestoppers-uk.org or by phoning 0800 555 111.”
The gang started smashing windows. They all had balaclavas
on, it was just pandemonium.
Resident