A police officer and a teenager were badly injured when a gang of Bonfire Night yobs pelted them with fireworks. The officer was with a colleague on patrol when they were attacked.
They were speaking to two boys, aged 14 and 17, when 10 youths appeared across the road and started aiming rockets at them. One of the fireworks hit the 14-year-old boy’s arm and ricocheted onto one of the officers and exploded leaving him with serious burns to his arm and chest.
The cop and the boy also suffered hearing loss believed to be caused by burst eardrums from the blast. The boy narrowly escaped more serious injuries when another rocket exploded inches away from his face.
The officers and the teenagers ducked behind a police car which then had its windows smashed by the gang. More officers flooded the area and the group of louts fled the scene.
Police have now launched a manhunt to track the yobs down. Chief Superintendent Neil Hutchison said: "This is absolutely disgraceful behaviour and we will not tolerate it.
“Bonfire Night is not an excuse to carry out dangerous acts of violence. An extensive investigation is now underway to ensure those responsible face the consequences.
“This senseless attack has left one young person with a serious and potentially life changing injury to his ear, while our officer has serious burns and also potential hearing damage. Thankfully the other young person and the other officers present were not seriously injured.
“I wish to offer all those hurt my best wishes for a full recovery. Officers are in the area conducting enquiries including reviewing CCTV footage and door-to-door enquiries.
“We are asking for anyone who thinks they have information about what happened to get in touch. Any detail, no matter how small, could really help. We believe the group involved have also been responsible for other pockets of disorder carried out that night around the Southwick area.
“We’re asking for anyone with information to get in touch and are especially keen to hear from anyone with dashcam footage from the area, between the times of 6pm and 10.40pm, as this could really aid our investigation."
The incident happened in Southwick, Sunderland.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Northumbria Police on 101.
