A Liverpool gym raid saw police officers pin a man to the floor and wield batons at customers and staff who tried to flee having broken Covid rules.
On Sunday afternoon, three arrests were made and 52 people were fined during the police raid at Prophecy Performance Centre in Speke, Merseyside. CCTV footage shows gym goers attempting to escape via the back exit of the gym before police officers try to stop them from leaving with one swinging a baton.
The video also shows a group of officers restraining one person before flooring them when they resist.
The police were tipped off that Prophecy Performance Centre had been welcoming customers despite the national lockdown forcing them to close.
They arrived at the premises at circa 1 pm and saw people congregated inside and stayed at the location to observe comings and goings from the gym. The police issued many fixed penalty notices for Covid violations.
Officers noticed that the fire escapes at the back of the gym were locked and called Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service to investigate potential breaches of fire safety regulations.
At around 7 pm around 40 people attempted to leave the gym via the previously locked fire doors. Police said several of those attempting to escape were aggressive towards officers and some of them were arrested. Another video showed people dashing to their cars and away from police. As police try to chase them down, many of them reach their cars and drive off at speed away from the scene. To stop others from escaping, police blocked the gym entrance with police cars to prevent people from getting out.
A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and was later released under investigation. 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. A 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.
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