Year's Day reggae party in Sandys.

Several bottles and rocks were hurled during the White Hill field fracas.

One man needed four stitches to a head wound after being reportedly struck by a security officer.

And the other victim was hurt in what is believed to have been a separate fight.

Police, who went to the scene at about 1.30 a.m., say one of their vehicles was damaged by missiles.

But yesterday people nearby at the time of the trouble told The Royal Gazette the vehicle was damaged accidentally.

"A bottle was thrown during one of the fights, and bounced on to the vehicle.

It was not aimed at the car,'' said one party-goer.

A Police spokesman said the crowd had become enraged at how long it took for an ambulance to get to the scene.

He pointed out the trouble had flared at about the same time as a fatal road accident.

"CID officers are now making inquiries into the incident,'' he said.

The reggae session, which cost $20 to attend, featured three "sound clashes'' -- a competition between groups.

Hundreds of people throughout the evening poured into the tent set up on the field.

One reveller claimed the security officer -- said to be proficient in martial arts -- hit out in self defence and after being provoked.

"He had drink poured over him. The other guy deserved what he got,'' said one man.

An official at Somerset Bridge Recreation Club, which overlooks the field, said: "There was some trouble after a security officer experienced problems with a patron.

"It was no big deal really. The crowd got angry because it took so long for an ambulance to arrive.'' He added: "There was another fight, and that was when the bottle was thrown and accidentally hit a Police car.

"It wasn't aimed at the vehicle. It just bounced on to it.'' Residents living near White Hill field told how they heard a commotion in the early hours and the sound of Police sirens.

"I heard a lot of yelling and screaming, but that kind of thing happens all the time,'' said Mr. Roy Derrick.

"You often get quite a few fights there. Something ought to be done to stop this kind of thing.'' A woman living opposite the field said: "I heard a lot of noise, but I did not know there was any trouble.

"I am a Christian lady and I don't go to those kind of things. When I hear the noise I go inside and listen to my records.'' See `crime wave', left.