Two men were injured and four people were arrested after a violent fight in Walton, Liverpool, that saw armed police surround properties and cordons put in place across two streets.
Emergency services were called to Peveril Street and Lochinvar Street on Thursday evening after a fight is believed to have broken out in a house on Lochinvar Street before a group of people dispersed into the street. Loud bangs were then heard coming from Peveril Street, where armed police had surrounded a property.
Man carried out after police force entry
Several people in the area said police knocked down a door and a man was carried out of the property by paramedics before a woman was detained at the scene. Another man was found on the same street with laceration wounds.
Merseyside Police said it received a report at around 6.20pm on Thursday that a man was found with a laceration to his arm and ankle on Peveril Street. Another man was inside a house on the same street with slash wounds to his body. Both men were taken to hospital for treatment.
Neighbours describe the incident
One neighbour on Lochinvar Street said: "I heard fighting and banging coming from the house. When it stopped I went outside and the front door was open and two women and a man were walking away. I shouted inside and there was no reply and I went to have a look at the end of the road and they had left."
A cordon remained in place on Friday, covering a house on Lochinvar Street and a large portion of pavement on Peveril Street, where blood was trailed along the paving stones. The cordon also covered a house where armed police forced entry, and where one of the two men was treated before being taken to hospital by paramedics.
One neighbour said: "[The man] was carried out of the house after they took a defibrillator inside. He didn't look good, it looked really bad."
Arrests and appeal
Police remained at the scene, with an officer staying in an alleyway between the two terraced streets. A blue Ford Fiesta was recovered from outside the cordoned-off property on Lochinvar Street, and forensic officers came and went from both properties throughout the morning and into Friday afternoon.
Merseyside Police said two men aged 35 and 33 from Liverpool have been arrested on suspicion of section 18 assault and grievous bodily harm with intent. Two women aged 43 and 34 from Liverpool have been arrested on suspicion of section 18 assault and wounding with intent and affray. All four are in police custody for questioning.
Detective Inspector Lee Egerton said: "We believe this to be an isolated incident where four people have been arrested, however we continue to investigate to understand the circumstances of what happened. I would appeal to anyone who lives in the area, that has any information or who has any doorbell or CCTV footage that may have captured the incident to get in touch as soon as possible.
"Knife crime has absolutely no place in Merseyside. Every knife we remove from our streets is one less opportunity for harm, and we will continue to take a hard stance against those who carry or use knives. We will continue to target such offenders and protect our communities, so if you have information about this incident or someone carrying a knife or know someone involved in knife crime please contact us."
