A TEENAGER was stabbed in the head and another was slashed at an illegal warehouse rave attended by 600 revellers in Hertfordshire. Both victims were rushed to hospital with multiple knife wounds after cops broke up the unlicensed event near Borehamwood on Saturday night. Reinforcements were called in when officers moved to shut down the […]
A TEENAGER was stabbed in the head and another was slashed at an illegal warehouse rave attended by 600 revellers in Hertfordshire.
Both victims were rushed to hospital with multiple knife wounds after cops broke up the unlicensed event near Borehamwood on Saturday night.
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Reinforcements were called in when officers moved to shut down the party, which was still being attended by around 200 people, defying government COVID-19 guidelines.
A Snapchat video shows people packed inside a building partying.
While breaking up the party, officers discovered two teenagers with injuries to their hands and heads.
Both were taken to hospital, but are not in a life-threatening condition.
The possibility more people may have been injured is not being ruled out.
Chief Inspector Frankie Westoby, of Herts Police, said: “This was a large event with up to 600 people – many from outside Hertsmere – travelling to the area to take part.
“Sadly on this occasion a violent incident occurred resulting in two teenagers suffering injuries.”
Chf Insp Westoby added: “I would like to take this opportunity to remind people that unlicensed music events are illegal and by their very nature there are numerous risks involved in attending.
“As well as the continuing threat of COVID-19, they are often held at sites that are unsuitable for large gatherings and organisers often fail to take appropriate steps to ensure people’s safety.
“Our advice is to stay home.”
Chf Insp Westoby added: “If anyone else was hurt, we would urge them to come forward and speak to us as soon as possible.”
Many people who attended the rave were seen walking through the town centre from Elstree & Borehamwood station and are believed to come from out of town.
The party was way beyond the government’s COVID-19 indoor and outdoor meeting guidelines.
People can meet outdoors in groups of up to six people who do not live under the same roof, or are not in each other’s support bubble.
Indoors, people are able to meet in groups of up to two households, and social distancing measures should be respected in both cases.
Chf Insp Westoby added: “We showed that, with support of partners, we were able to mobilise resources quickly to stop most of them accessing the site and to close the event down.
“We would appeal to anyone who witnessed this or who has any information about it at all, to contact us as soon as possible.”
It comes after hundreds of people packed inside a giant gazebo for an illegal rave in locked-down Manchester.
Cops were pelted with missiles at the party in Gorton on Saturday night – one of two raves broken up by cops in Greater Manchester over the weekend.
