Shots were fired in St Peter’s Square on Saturday / Image: Wikipedia
A police investigation is ongoing after a ‘shoot out’ in Manchester city centre over the weekend led to three arrests.
Officers were called to reports of gunfire in St Peter’s Square on Saturday (February 27) evening.
Detectives say that a weapon was discharged from a red Ford Mondeo towards a silver Vauxhall Astra at around 8.30pm.
The Astra then collided with a lamp post, with four occupants exiting the vehicle and abandoning it on the tram tracks.
Officers have so far arrested three teenagers on suspicion of dangerous driving and possession of a firearm.
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Enquires are ongoing to find the other individuals involved.
Police do not currently believe that anyone was injured.
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Councillor Pat Karney said he was “shocked” that the incident took place and “doubly shocked” by the ages of those involved.
3 teenagers were arrested after reports shots were fired in Manchester city centre last night. A 19-year-old and two 16-year-olds were held after a car was abandoned on tram tracks at St Peter's Square. They're detained on suspicion of possessing a firearm and dangerous driving pic.twitter.com/sDTXIRferg
Shoot out on St.Peters Square. Still shocked that this took place and doubly shocked at the ages of those involved. We let justice take its way on this case. But people who bring guns and knives on our streets must face much tougher penalties. The public comes first.
Superintendent Chris Hill, from GMP’s City of Manchester division, said there would be an increased police presence in the city and “anyone concerned can speak to officers.”
A cordon remained in place around St Peter’s Square on Sunday (February 28) afternoon as officers continued investigating the scene.
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The Superintended added: “We regularly take strong and swift action to disrupt this criminal activity and we are doing all we can.
“There is a lot of work – which may not always be visible due to operational reasons – going on to tackle the use of firearms and disputes across Greater Manchester.
“We would like to thank Transport for Greater Manchester and members of the public who cooperated and assisted us with our investigation but we would continue to appeal for anyone with information to come forward. The information will be treated with the strictest confidence.
“Anyone with information can call 101, or 999 in an emergency. Alternatively, contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
News
Rising Manchester DJ issues heartfelt statement after Parklife set is cancelled over safety concerns
Daisy Jackson
Manchester DJ Josh Baker has issued a statement after his Parklife set was unexpectedly cancelled.
The rising star techno and house DJ was supposed to be playing on the brand-new Matinee stage on Sunday evening.
But his set attracted some huge crowds, not helped by the sudden downpour as his set was due to begin.
The area around Matinee became increasingly busy and Parklife announced that the Josh Baker performance would be paused on ‘the advice of safety team’.
Josh Baker has now issued a statement on social media to his followers as his Parklife set was due to end, signed off with a row of crying emojis.
He wrote: “Unfortunately I will not be performing at Parklife due to reason outside of my control.
Josh Baker has shared a statement after his Parklife set was cancelled. Credit: Instagram, @joshbaker
“I deeply apologise. I can’t really put into words what today was going to mean to me.”
Next on the Matinee stage should have been Chris Stussy, another name that was predicted to pull in a big crowd.
At the time of writing, The Matinee Stage remains closed but there are again large queues of fans waiting to re-enter the space.
Parklife pauses major DJ set on ‘advice of safety team’ as huge crowds swarm
Daisy Jackson
Parklife has announced it has paused one of the most hotly-tipped sets of the weekend ‘upon advice of the safety team’.
Josh Baker’s set on the brand-new Matinee stage has been attracting huge crowds from the late afternoon.
The Manchester-born DJ is a rising star in the tech and house scene and was always going to be a highlight of the festival’s line-up this year.
But his pull has maybe been a bit greater than expected, with massive crowds swarming around the Matinee stage on Sunday afternoon.
It’s been so busy that Parklife has made the decision to pause his show altogether while crowds disperse.
The warning sent on the Parklife appHow The Matinee stage looked on Saturday. Credit: The Manc Group
Security have been managing the crowds at the stage with a queue system, but when the heavens opened (and it REALLY rained at about 7pm) the area surrounding the Matinee stage became even busier.
Parklife has issued a statement on its app that reads: “Upon advice of the PL safety team, the show on the Matinee stage has been paused. We will update ASAP.”
Parklife has described Josh Baker as ‘a versatile DJ and producer, embodying the creative essence of the new wave of electronic artists’.
The Manc -
1st March 2021 
