An illegal nightclub party that was violating COVID-protocols (the illegal part) was busted up by police in England this weekend.
West Midlands Police released a multi-tweet thread about the bust, which you can view below.
ABC News reports that officers observed a bunch of taxis dropping off people at a building on Sunday. Once inside, police discovered an estimated 150 revelers on two floors, plus a bar, VIP area, and DJ.
Though optimists can pin some hope that it’ll change soon, England remains under lockdown amidst its vaccine rollout. That means bars and restaurants are still closed.
During the weekend raid, some bottles were hurled at police (referenced as “missiles” in the video above) as they broke up the party. One officer was injured. An estimated third of the attendees were able to escape, with cops showing surprisingly dramatic thermal imaging shots of people getting away across the roof.
“Our officers continue to work long and hard to protect the public and reduce the spread of this deadly virus by breaking up these gatherings, often in really difficult circumstances,” said Chris Todd, who’s an Assistant Chief Constable of the West Midlands Police force, in a statement. “It’s unacceptable that our officers came under attack, and that one suffered a minor injury, just for doing their job and enforcing laws that are in place to keep us all safe.”
Fines were dished out to the revelers that were caught. Those fines were for £200 ($278), which is relatively paltry compared to the £10,000 ($13,927) that police may give to the DJ.
Prior to the covert nightclub being broken up, police had unearthed a similarly secretive establishment outside the city of Birmingham. A dozen people were located in a garaged dubbed “The Covid Arms.” The owner was hit with a fine of £1,000 ($1,392) while a dozen people inside drinking were let go with a warning.
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