Female police officer suffers 'serious' head injury as Leeds fans celebrate
Monday 20 July 2020 10:53, UK
A female police officer was taken to hospital with a serious head injury after being struck by a bottle, as 7,000 Leeds fans celebrated promotion to the Premier League and winning the Championship in Millennium Square on Sunday.
Other officers suffered minor injuries as a "minority of people" began throwing bottles at the police, while 15 members of the public were also injured.
Nine people were arrested for public order offences and the area was cleared by 11:55pm.
West Yorkshire Police have stressed large gatherings are still not permitted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
T/Assistant Chief Constable Oz Khan, of West Yorkshire Police, said: "Throughout the weekend, fans have gathered across Leeds to celebrate the promotion of Leeds United into the Premier League.
"We have continued to impress upon fans the importance of the Covid19 government guidance and our approach has primarily remained as one of engagement and encouragement.
"On Sunday (19 July), almost 7,000 people gathered in Millennium Square in Leeds; whilst the vast majority of fans were enjoying themselves and celebrating, there were a small minority of people who began to throw bottles at police officers.
"The safety of fans and the wider public is our primary concern. Violence towards police officers will not be tolerated and we deployed an appropriate police response to ensure that the festivities concluded safely.
"It is important to remind the public that we must not lose sight of the fact that Covid-19 is still with us and that large gatherings are still not permitted."
