Six arrested after Runshaw College knife fight are from Preston and Kirkham

Hundreds of students were shepherded onto buses and into buildings for their safety after a pupil was stabbed in a knife fight between two rival gangs near the college on Monday (March 4).

Two men aged 18, both from Preston, an 18-year-old man from Kirkham and three 17-year-old boys from Preston have been arrested on suspicion of public order offences.

Three of the men were arrested after they were apprehended in a parked car in nearby Worden Lane.

A fourth person tried to flee the scene on foot, but was arrested after a short police chase.

Two more suspects were held late on Monday evening, with one pulled over on the M55 and one arrested in Preston.

All six suspects remain in custody.

A 17-year-old boy, believed to be a pupil at Runshaw College, was stabbed in the arm during the confrontation.

He was taken to Chorley and South Ribble Hospital for emergency treatment.

Police described the incident on Monday as a targeted attack, after a gang of 12 people arrived at the campus in three cars at around 4pm, just as students were leaving for the day.

Police said a group of males, believed to be from the Manchester area, left their cars, ( a Volkswagen Polo, a Vauxhall Astra and a Nissan Micra) and strode towards the college campus wearing balaclavas and brandishing knives.

Dramatic footage taken by students shows a number of people wielding large knives and chasing students along Worden Lane and through neighbouring gardens.

According to police, no one else was injured during the attack.

Ch Insp Gary Crowe from South Ribble Police said: “My advice to parents, staff and students would be to carry on as normal tomorrow, we will have officers in around the area for reassurance and this will continue. Please speak to them if you have any concerns.

“We know that this disorder is related to a personal issue between two members of each group. There is nothing to suggest there are any further fights planned however, if you know different, you must let us know.

“Thankfully only one person suffered a minor injury but it could have been much worse. To those who think it is acceptable to behave like violent thugs, my message is clear. You are not welcome in Leyland and we do not tolerate this kind of shocking, deplorable behaviour.

“Our investigation is on-going and we made four arrests just after the incident happened, close to the scene. A further two arrests have followed this evening and we now think we have the three vehicles which were involved.

“We know that others were involved in this – from both sides of the altercation - and I have a number of officers working on finding out who they are.

“If you know who was involved, saw the disorder, have any mobile phone footage that you haven’t already sent to us or you know anything at all that could help our investigation, please get in touch.”

You can call 101 quoting incident reference 933 of today (March 4th). Alternatively independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously on 0800 555111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.