Police today released photographs of 38 people they are trying to trace three weeks after breaking up an illegal rave where up to 700 people had gathered.
Officers were injured after being pelted with lit spray cans and bottles as they arrived to disperse the Halloween event at a warehouse in Yate, near Bristol.
Avon and Somerset Police also released dramatic bodycam footage today showing the hostile crowd counting down from ten before charging at officers.
Police were heard shouting ‘get back or batons will be used’ before being attacked by the ravers as they continued to shout ‘get back, get back, get back’.
Officers had initially arrived at the warehouse at 10.42pm on October 31 and issued a dispersal notice, but the crowd continued to grow and officers were forced back.
Two of the 38 people Avon and Somerset Police are trying to trace following an illegal rave
Police released these photographs three weeks after the illegal rave in Yate, near Bristol
Detectives are trying to trace the people after the rave where up to 700 people had gathered
Avon and Somerset Police officers arrived to disperse the Halloween event at a warehouse
They eventually put in place a secure cordon by 4am. Three weeks on, 12 people have been arrested and two organisers have received £10,000 fixed penalty notices.
But police are still hunting to identify dozens of people at the party, and are now seeking the public’s help to identify 38 people in connection with their investigation.
Detectives said there were missiles thrown, bottles, punches, kicks and fireworks fired at officers, which they described as ‘significant violence’.
The rave happened on the night that Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that England would be going back into a full national lockdown five days later.
Detective Superintendent Lisa Simpson said: ‘This event came while gatherings of more than 30 people were illegal and as the country was digesting news of national restrictions soon to be introduced.
Officers had initially arrived at the warehouse in Yate, near Bristol, at 10.42pm on October 31
Police today released photographs of people they are trying to trace following the incident
Officers issued a dispersal notice after they arrived in Yate, but the crowd continued to grow
Police are still hunting to identify dozens of people at the party and released these images
Officers are seeking the public’s help to identify 38 people in connection with their probe
‘Understandably the selfish actions of those who thought such an event was a good idea has left the majority of law-abiding people outraged.
‘Officers found themselves dealing with an intolerable hostile situation and deserve credit for the courageous and professional manner in which they handled it.
‘The aggressive and dangerous antics of those attacking police is inexcusable and unacceptable.’
Officers closed off roads and prevented around 300 people attending the event, but between 500 and 700 had already got in.
Some police were injured but remained on duty, with officers still trying to fully shut down the rave more than 14 hours after being called to the site.
The rave happened on the night that Boris Johnson announced another lockdown for England
Police said today that officers ‘found themselves dealing with an intolerable hostile situation’
The illegal rave near Bristol came while gatherings of more than 30 people were illegal
Officers were trying to fully shut down the rave more than 14 hours after being called to Yate
Officers are still investigating suspected offences more than three weeks after the rave in Yate
Ms Simpson added: ‘Our investigation is ongoing into what happened and to ensure those who committed offences are appropriately dealt with.
‘Suspected offences, including assaults on emergency workers, affray and more are still being looked at by our dedicated team of officers and staff.
‘We have made several arrests but there are still many people we wish to identify as part of our ongoing enquiries.
‘We’ve made efforts within Avon and Somerset and other forces to try to establish who these people are in the hope we wouldn’t need to release these images into the public domain.
‘However, despite this we still don’t know who a number of people we want to talk to are, which is why we’re now releasing images of them in the hope the public can help.’
Police prevented about 300 further people attending the event at Stover Trading Estate in Yate
Police broke up the illegal rave three weeks ago after up to 700 people had gathered at a site
Police eventually put in place a secure cordon by 4am the following morning at the warehouse
Avon and Somerset Police officers are still hunting to identify dozens of people at the party
Eight people were arrested on the day and a further four people have been arrested since the incident.
Separately, police watchdogs have launched an investigation after a woman claimed she was mauled by a police dog at the illegal rave.
Jessica Mae Andrew, 28, alleged she suffered a broken bone and required skin and muscle grafts to her leg after the dog apparently attacked her without warning.
Ms Andrew who was attending the illegal rave with around 700 other people, is taking legal action against police after being left with ‘life changing’ injuries.
Police prevented about 300 further people attending the event at Stover Trading Estate, but between 500 and 700 managed to get in.
Avon and Somerset Police also released a picture of the scene in the warehouse after the rave
Avon and Somerset Police also released dramatic bodycam footage showing a hostile crowd
The crowd are heard in bodycam footage counting down from ten before charging at officers
Police were heard shouting ‘get back or batons will be used’ before being attacked last month
Officers want the public’s help to identify 38 people in connection with their investigation
The incident came on a day when other police forces also faced shocking scenes of violence as officers attempted to shutdown illegal raves across the country.
Greater Manchester Police officers tried to break up a rave at a farm in Wigan attended by about 300 people, where seven police vehicles had their tyres slashed.
In London, officers dealt with 11 raves and illegal gatherings on October 31, including 1,000 people who attended an unlicensed music event at Tower Hamlets.
On that day in Hackney, another 200-strong party was broken up, while the organiser of a large Christening party in Tottenham was reported for a £10,000 fine.
The Night Time Industries Association warned earlier this month that the announcement of a second lockdown had sparked a direct rise in illegal raves.
Officers had initially arrived at the warehouse at 10.42pm as they tried to quell the rave
Police said there were missiles thrown, bottles, punches, kicks and fireworks fired at officers
Officers had initially arrived at the warehouse at 10.42pm as they tried to quell the rave
The dramatic bodycam footage from Avon and Somerset Police shows the scene at the rave
Its said young people were ‘searching for alternatives to late-night venues, as they struggle to cope with continuing restrictions on their lives due to the pandemic’.
In late August, police in England were given powers to fine organisers of illegal gatherings of more than 30 people such as raves up to £10,000.
Before the lockdown, Bristol was in tier one of the Government’s local coronavirus restrictions – although the mayor said it had entered ‘tier one plus’ on October 28.
The city is now said to be one of the places most at risk of entering the toughest local tier when England exits its second national lockdown next Wednesday.
More than 2,100 Covid-19 infections were recorded in Bristol in the week up to November 15 and it now ranks as the 16th worst area across 149 local authorities.
Anyone who has information which could help police identify any of the people in the images is asked to call 101 and provide the call handler with the reference 5220247128. The police website has codes matching each of the photographs here