23.11.12

Revellers were left shaken after being evacuated from a bar on Call Lane last weekend.

Cocktail drinkers were forced to leave  the bar in the early hours of Sunday morning after the police were called following reports of an assault. A man and a woman were apprehended and searched, although were later released.

As  police entered the building, the music was abruptly switched off and the lights brought up in the popular bar. Patrons were then asked to leave the building and go onto the street.

Third-year Maths student, Suzie Charlton, described the situation: “I thought it was going to be a chilled night out, until suddenly the police stormed in and we were kicked out.”

According to Charlton, confusion mounted as police asked revellers to vacate the bar, with little explanation given despite repeated requests from the crowd. “We kept asking them questions but they refused to tell us what was going on”, she said.

The bar-goers were then left to stand in the cold as police began to search two individuals for weapons

According to a spokesman for West Yorkshire police, two suspects were identified and arrested. The man and woman were then patted down against the wall and later released.

Rumours of a stabbing began to circulating as people were evacuated from the club,  although police have since confirmed that no attack took place.

Witnesses reported disorder in the wake of the club evacuation. Speaking to Leeds Student, third-year student Matt Murphy stated: “the whole of Call Lane was swarming with people with no idea what was going on”.
Another student said: “We saw lots of chaos outside with police in the street and people getting patted down up against the window.”

A police spokesman told this paper: “A 23-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man were arrested in connection with the incident but both were later released without charge.”

Words: Ellie Parkes