Protesters set bus, police cars ablaze in north London

 A double decker bus burns Saturday as riot police try to contain a large group of people on a main road in Tottenham, north London. (Photo: Leon Neal / AFP - Getty Images)

 

Story by MSNBC

BBC link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-14434318

Guardian link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/aug/06/tottenham-riots-protesters-police

Sky News link: http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16045049 

Bossip link: http://bossip.com/437070/blacks-riot-in-london-after-father-of-4-is-killed-by-police/

LONDON — Police were in a tense standoff with protesters who burned two patrol cars, set a bus and shops ablaze and looted stores late Saturday in Tottenham, north London, British media reported.

The incidents began as a protest over the Thursday fatal shooting of Mark Duggan, a 29-year-old father of four who was killed after an apparent exchange of fire with officers.

The protesting crowd swelled to more than 300 outside a police station on High Road, the BBC said.

No officers were inside the two patrol cars set upon by the crowd, officials said.

Firefighters initially could not reach a blazing shop blocked by the disorder. A woman who lives above the shop told British TV she was trapped with her baby by the blaze and mayhem. Several building were later seen on fire.

Stores in the area were looted and people were seen pushing carts full of stolen goods, the Telegraph of London reported. Some of the rioters were said to look as young as 7 to 10 years old, fleeing with looted TVs and stereos, the Guardian said.

A peaceful protest started with around 120 people marching from the Broadwater Farm area to the police station, the Telegraph said.

Vanessa Robinson told the BBC said she had joined the original protest outside the police station and it had begun peacefully.

She said the situation turned into "absolute chaos."

Maria Robinson, who lives in Tottenham, described the situation as "absolutely manic".

She said people were throwing bottles, making bottle bombs, setting fires and shops had been broken into.

Another resident, David Akinsanya, 46, said several shop windows had been smashed.

"It's really bad," he said. "There are two police cars on fire. I'm feeling unsafe. It looks like it's going to get very tasty. I saw a guy getting attacked."

He added: "There was a police line of about 15 riot police sort of in front of the police station on the north side and then there were loads of uniformed officers on the south side of the police station.

"They weren't making any effort to go into the crowd. Every now and again they would rush the crowd and the crowd would run.

"But there seems to be a lot of anger in Tottenham tonight... as I left they were starting to attack the police station.

"Obviously they've got the toughened glass so the missiles weren't going through."

Duggan had been shot in an exchange of fire after the police's Trident operational command unit, which deals with gun crime in the black community, stopped the vehicle he was travelling in, the Guardian said. A police officer was said to have escaped injury in the shoot out when a bullet lodged in his radio.

The Guardian described nearby Broadwater Farm as the scene of riots in 1985 when a police constable, Keith Blakelock, was killed by attackers wielding knives and machetes.