Barking rave: Nine police injured as teens 'threw stones at officers during riot sparked by illegal rave'

Police presence: Riot cops on the scene during the disorder
Twitter/@dogboy999
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A teenage girl was rushed to hospital after collapsing of a suspected drugs overdose at an illegal warehouse rave in east London that descended into a street riot.

Nine police officers were injured as they tried to shut down the party attended by thousands of people in an industrial estate in Barking on Saturday night.

Revellers responded by hurling bricks at police in riot gear and dog handlers in a five-hour stand-off that neighbours likened to “storm of people”.

The Met was alerted to the unlicensed music event at the abandoned warehouse on Thames Road by officers from the British Transport Police at 9.30pm, who reported groups of hundreds of young people disembarking at the nearby railway station.

Nine men were arrested as 1,000 people were cleared from the building while another 1,000 outside were dispersed.

The venue was emptied by 2am on Sunday with nearby roads closed and officers patrolling the scene throughout the day.

'Large scale disorder': Police in riot gear were dispatched to the illegal rave
@MPSSpecials

The area was littered with broken bricks, bottles and cans, and empty capsules of nitrous oxide, known as laughing gas. Several cars were smashed up and have since been removed by police as evidence.

One witness said: “There were about 2,000 people there and hardly any police so they were trying to calm everything down. But it started turning nasty.

“Police were trying to stop people getting in. There were about 500 in the building before the police arrived and another 2,000 on the streets.

Police presence: officers at the scene of the 'riot' in Barking
Twitter/@dogboy999

“I think a lot of them were underage kids. They demolished a wall to throw bricks at police. Lots of the officers got head injuries. There was one 16-year-old girl who collapsed after she overdosed.”

Businessman Imran Khan, 49, from Barking, who owns a warehouse nearby, raced to the scene when he heard police reports of “large scale disorder”.

He said: “I was here until 3am. People were everywhere. About 500 got in. They were underage so they can’t be in the nightclubs. “They were all drugged up and many were intoxicated – it was like a big storm of people.

“The trouble-makers were abusing people and swearing. They were throwing stones at coppers desperate to get inside somehow. The police did a really good job. It’s very sad. I saw one police officer with blood running down his face.”

Workers in the street said in the two days leading up to the rave they saw young men visiting to “scope out” the venue and break open a shutter.

One resident said: “We’d just got into bed when they turned up with a van and sound systems. We could hear the drum and bass music blaring out and saw a few people jump over the fence.

Police dogs sweep the scene on Thames Road in Barking
@MPSSpecials

“The police turned up really quickly and after then the helicopters were around for a few hours.”

Four of the male officers were treated in hospital for their injuries and have since been discharged.

Temporary Chief Superintendent Sean Wilson, borough commander for Barking and Dagenham, said: “A number of officers were injured whilst going about their duties and this will not be tolerated. A full investigation has been launched and we will endeavour to bring those responsible to justice.

“We are working very closely with the community who are shocked by these events.”

A spokeswoman for London Ambulance Service said they sent they took two people to hospital, including one as a priority. The police also took some revellers to hospital.

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