A man was allegedly kidnapped and masked thugs carrying baseball bats ransacked a house as a struggle over drugs and territory spilled into violence around Hamilton yesterday afternoon.

Police were called to investigate four separate incidents which resulted in drugs being seized and were involved in a number of high speed car chases.

The violence springs from simmering disputes between criminals over drugs and territory, well-placed sources have told The Royal Gazette.

The trouble began just before 1 p.m. when between ten and 12 men wearing masks and helmets and carrying baseball bats broke into a house in Middle Town Lane.

Twenty minutes later, Police were called to a report of a break-in across Pembroke Marsh at nearby Footbridge Lane.

A 23-year-old man said a group of men had burst into his apartment and stole a compact stereo, a Sony PlayStation 2 game system, a grey Toshiba DVD player and several compact discs and clothing.

Despite the break-in and theft, the man told Police he did not want them to investigate any further.

At 1.30 p.m., within 15 minutes of the man calling the Police to his home in Footbridge Lane, at the back of town a gang of four men reportedly attacked another man and bundled him into the back of a car in broad daylight.

Police could not confirm if the victim was abducted in the car following the attack on the corner of Court Street and Elliott Street, but late last night the silver/grey Hyundai Getz car, registration number 37303 which was involved in the incident was found.

Violence flared up again at 3.30 p.m. when a group of men was spotted brandishing weapons in the Middle Town area - where the masked gang broke into a house two and a half hours earlier which sparked the trouble.

Police rushed to the area resulting in a number of high speed chases as four youths believed to have been involved in the earlier incidents tried to escape on two motorbikes.

One of the motorcycles involved in the chase barely escaped being hit by a car travelling west on Marsh Folly Road as the driver attempted to flee Police as he sped down Bishop Spencer Road.

The motorcycle was pursued up to St. Monica's Road but then forced the Police car to back off as the pillion passenger, who had fallen off a bike, jumped back on the bike and headed west on Marsh Folly Road.

One of the young men was caught by Police at Marsh Folly Road and taken to King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for treatment to injuries sustained during the high speed chase which are not considered life threatening.

Police were still looking for the three other men who sped off on bikes, the car involved in the reported kidnapping and the victim who may have been bundled into the car trunk.

Police spokesman Dwayne Caines said last night: “The violence that we have seen is not random violence, this is pre-existing conflicts.

“These are people that know each other.

“The public should know that this violence is not random.”

While in the St. Monica's Road area near Marsh Folly Road the Police Support Unit along with drug-sniffing dog Max found a canister of drugs in the area.

Between ten and 15 officers were involved in the car chases and the searches which resulted in the drug seizures, he added.