A vicious weekend gang attack involving petrol bombs and machetes left one man in hospital and area residents terrified.

The battle took place on Middletown Road, Pembroke on Sunday night. One eye-witness told The Royal Gazette that about 16 thugs ? all dressed in black with hoods and kerchiefs covering their faces ? stormed the neighbourhood carrying machetes and baseball bats in what he described as ?a planned attack?.

The thugs proceeded to pour gasoline into glass bottles, light them, and launch their missiles down Middletown Road.

?I actually saw one guy get chopped up. He lost a gallon of blood. This was a planned attack. He was a victim of association,? the eye witness told .

The young man injured in this incident, a 17-year-old Pembroke man, was rushed to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital after suffering from serious wounds to his left arm. The victim received surgery some time yesterday and is currently in a stable condition on a general ward.

Repeating allegations made by area residents on ZBM News last night, the eye-witness slammed Police, saying they failed to show up until an hour after the mayhem broke out.

?Police got there an hour later but there was just one Police car ? there was no real Police presence,? he said.

In an initial report yesterday morning, the Police media relations department referred to the incident as ?a disturbance? adding that ?although there was a large crowd present in the area, no one was willing to provide information about the incident?.

But last night Police spokesman Robin Simmons responded to allegations that the Police arrived late and then failed to take any action.

Continued from Page 1

?Police attended the incident five to ten minutes after receiving the report,? Mr. Simmons said.

?After officers arrived on the scene they needed to assess the situation due to reports of Molotov cocktails being thrown in the area. Around the same time officers were also dealing with a serious road traffic collision. Some of those officers also attended the disturbance at Middletown. They had to travel from Southampton to Pembroke.?

Residents are now calling for action from their MP, Works and Engineering Minister Ashfield DeVent, to help stamp out the violence.

?People are frightened right now. People are terrified. There?s a lot of concern because innocent people were involved. All the people in the area know what is going on. Everybody?s sick and tired of it,? the eye-witness said.

Last night Mr. DeVent responded to concerns, saying: ?The violent incidents which have occurred in this area are deplorable and unfortunate.

?I would urge the residents of that area to continue to be vigilant in informing the Bermuda Police Service regarding any criminal activity that takes place. I am aware that residents have been concerned about having adequate lighting provided in the area, and I can confirm that members of the Ministry of Works and Engineering and Housing will assess the issue to see what steps can be taken to address their concerns.?

Police continue to ask for witnesses or anyone with information to contact the Hamilton Criminal Investigation at 295-0011.

This attack occurred only days after the Government had tabled a new bill banning machetes in public places.