A police raid on a gym in Liverpool which breached Covid rules by refusing to close saw officers pin a man to the floor and wield batons at people who attempted to flee.
Three people were arrested and 52 people were fined when police raided Prophecy Performance Centre in Speke, Merseyside, on Sunday afternoon.
CCTV footage from the scene, shared on social media, shows gym goers trying to escape out the back of the gym before police officers try to stop them from getting away – with one appearing to swing a baton.
The clip also shows a group of officers restraining one person before pulling them to the ground when they resist.
Officers were tipped off that Prophecy Performance Centre had been welcoming fitness enthusiasts in defiance of the national lockdown.
Police raided Prophecy Performance Centre in Speke, Merseyside, on Sunday afternoon and used force on some people outside the gym
Officers were tipped off that Prophecy Performance Centre (pictured) had been welcoming fitness enthusiasts in defiance of the national lockdown
CCTV footage from outside the gym (pictured) shows gym goers trying to escape out the back before police officer try to stop them from getting away – with one appearing to swing a baton.
They attended at around 1pm and observed people gathered inside and remained at the location to observe comings and goings from the gym.
While they were there they issued multiple fixed penalty notices for Covid breaches.
They also observed that the fire escapes at the rear of the gym were locked and contacted Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service to investigate potential breaches of fire safety regulations.
While patrols were outside, a 34-year-old man became aggressive, swearing at officers and refused to co-operate with attempts to engage with him.
Merseyside Police said it had received reports from a member of the public that up to 50 people were being held against their will at the rear of the gym, in an effort to prevent them from being detected by police.
At around 7pm around 40 people tried to leave the gym via the previously locked fire doors, with some driving away at speed.
Police said several of those attempting to make off behaved aggressively towards officers and a number of them were detained.
A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and was later released under investigation.
CCTV footage showed a group of officers detained someone who falls to the ground and they pin them down
Police arrested three people after a group of gym goers tried to escape out the back of the gym to avoid the police
A 33-year-old woman and a 34-year-old man were arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment. The woman has since been released under investigation.
The 34-year-old man was also arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and on suspicion of careless and inconsiderate driving. He was released on conditional bail.
The gym has been issued with a Closure Notice by Liverpool City Council.
Following the incident, Merseyside Police has spoken in defence of its use of force.
Deputy Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said: ‘The decision to use force is never taken lightly, and in cases where it is appropriate, officers must often make quick, split-second judgements where there is a risk of harm.
‘During this incident, the use of force was judged necessary by officers in response to people’s behaviour.
‘Officers should not be confronted with abuse and violence when attempting to uphold the law which most people are rightly abiding by.’
She continued: ‘We are currently in a national lockdown which means people should not be leaving their homes for non-essential reasons or meeting up with other people outside their household or support bubble.
‘Flouting Covid rules in this manner is not acceptable.
Merseyside Police said some of those at gym on Sunday had travelled as far as Manchester.
‘All attending were not only breaching Covid regulations but putting themselves, their loved ones and their wider communities at risk of catching and spreading coronavirus,’ Kennedy continued.
‘As well as policing Covid rules, throughout this pandemic officers at Merseyside Police have continued to work to tackle all crime including serious, violent and organised crime to help keep our communities across Merseyside safe.
‘Having to deploy officer to incidents like the scenes we saw in Speke last night puts an unnecessary strain on our resources but we will not hesitate to act where the irresponsible actions of a few threaten the welfare of the many.
‘I would urge everyone across Merseyside to continue to work together and abide by the rules to help us tackle this deadly virus and hopefully we can return to normality more quickly by doing so.’
Ten cars parked illegally outside the gym received parking fines.