A high school student was injured and another arrested after an altercation in the City of Hamilton.

A police spokeswoman said that shortly before 5pm officers responded to a report of a disturbance in the vicinity of Washington Mall and Queen Street.

The spokeswoman said: “Initial enquiries indicate that the incident involved two high school-aged males.

“One of the young males sustained an injury to his leg during the incident and was transported to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for treatment. His injury is not believed to be life threatening.

“The other young male was arrested in connection with the incident. Police enquiries into the circumstances surrounding the incident are ongoing.”

She urged anyone with information or video footage of the incident to call police on 211 at the earliest opportunity.

Witnesses told The Royal Gazette that they had seen a boy carried out of Mr Chicken’s Queen Street location on a stretcher.

Others spotted armed police sweeping the bus terminal and surrounding areas.

The Gazette visited the restaurant and saw a police officer inside with several children and adults as staff refused to let customers in.

When asked what happened, a staff member at the door said: “It’s just schoolchildren acting stupid.”

She denied that anyone had been stabbed. Meanwhile, others in the area said they had heard otherwise but had not seen anything themselves.

One woman, who asked not to be named, said she was with a friend across the street when she saw two boys in school uniform run into the restaurant.

Minutes later, she added, she saw the child “come out on the stretcher”.

The woman said she heard from “other people walking around” that the child had been stabbed, but added she had not seen anything herself.

She said: “We saw him run in down the hill with one of his friends into Mr Chicken, so I’m guessing he got stabbed up by the bus terminal or something and then ran in here.

“We never saw him come out after that.”

Meanwhile, one man near the bus terminal said he saw a “young guy” run westward down Church Street before police arrived with firearms.

“He ran fast and then I didn’t see him any more,” he explained. “He was a young guy. I think he was scared.

“After I saw the young guy pass, I saw the police come with guns.”

Another man said he left a café at the corner of Church Street and Washington Street when he saw armed officers.

He added: “I just came out to the police and they ran down [towards Victoria Park]. I didn’t see anything else after that.

“To me, if police have guns out then something’s serious.”

One woman said she was in an electronics shop when she saw the commotion.

She said: “When I came out, that’s when I saw all the police cars and everything line up and saw them walking around after the fact.

“I saw a lot of kids at the top [of the street], but when I came out from the bathroom they were gone, so I don’t know if they were involved.”

The woman confirmed seeing “a couple” of armed police officers, adding: “They walked through the park.

“They were definitely walking up and down for a while.”

A spokeswoman for the City of Hamilton said the corporation was aware of the incident and encouraged the public to direct all information to police.

She added: “We recognise the concern this causes for residents, businesses and visitors.

“The Corporation of Hamilton supports an active and consistent police presence throughout the city, particularly in busy public spaces such as the bus terminal and surrounding areas.

“We are working with the Bermuda Police Service and a meeting has been arranged with the police and key stakeholders to discuss policing in these locations and strengthen our shared approach to public safety.”

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