Youths have been filmed brawling in a troubled Cardiff neighbourhood. Around a dozen boys attacked each other late at night in a residential street in Cathays.
Recent months have seen Cathays struggle with a plague of sexual harassment and vandalism. In the latest crime to alarm the community, youngsters fought and hurled bins at around 11.40pm last Friday in Richards Street.
Footage of the confrontation starts with two groups standing in the road, facing each other and exchanging a few pushes. The violent clash begins when one youth suddenly runs forward throwing wild punches. This sparks a mass brawl as the boys swing their arms, kick and grapple with each other. You can read more stories about Cardiff here.
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The video was shared in Facebook group, Overheard at Cardiff University, by a man who said his car was dented heavily during the fight. In online comments, students said the violence was a "nightmare" and spilled from Richards Street into Harriet Street. One wrote that the brawl had left them unable to sleep.
The owner of the damaged car told WalesOnline: "I was quite annoyed when I found my car in the condition it was in. Especially being a student I don’t have much money to be able to keep paying for repairs on my car, especially from situations like this. I’m very thankful to the people who witnessed and filmed it and provided the video to me."
He estimated the repairs would cost him £200 to £500, adding: "I contacted the police and they’ve said they’ll be in contact in 48 hours about whether they are able to provide a crime reference number and help or if they can’t do anything about it."
Speaking about the recent spate of crimes in Cathays, the student said: "There’s certain areas that I would not park on specifically for the safety of my car... I can safely say that me and my mates are concerned about the safety of the area."
A South Wales Police spokeswoman said: "Police were called to a report of a disturbance in Richards Street, Cathays, at 11.40pm on Friday, May 13. A witness described two groups of boys fighting and throwing bins at each other.
"An area search by officers was negative and no-one has come forward to report being injured or assaulted as a result of the incident. We would like to thank the public for their vigilance and concern regarding this matter."
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