Shocking footage has emerged of a man brutally assaulting a woman in the centre of London.
Bystanders watch on and film while a masked male repeatedly punches his victim.
According to the Twitter user who posted it on social media, the incident happened in Hyde Park.
The attacker is able to land several blows before someone intervenes to pull him off as others look on.
Another fight appears to be unfolding between two people behind the pair as they grapple on the floor.
It’s unclear what triggered the incident but it appears to have taken place at a cannabis-related event.
An informal meet-up took place on April 20 to mark ‘4/20’, a date associated with the drug, which was attended by thousands.
The Metropolitan Police typically turn a blind-eye to the event because of its sheer scale as long as it remains calm.
But this year’s even descended into chaos when a smaller group brought disorder to nearby Oxford Street.
A dispersal order was issued at around 10pm as a large number of people were still gathered in the area.
Officers with police dogs poured into central London and made a number of arrests.
Superintendent Dan Ivey wrote on Twitter from the scene: ‘I’m part of command team (still here) so to be clear, this was a proportionate response to a large crowd leaving the park, some involved in assaults, with a machete seen, one knife recovered, along with a knuckle duster.
‘All is now calm. Ten arrests made.’
April 20 is recognised as a day of celebration among cannabis users around the world, a tradition that dates back to the 1970s.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
