Hampshire police have confirmed they made five arrests at Tuesdays derby between Portsmouth and Southampton, including a man who swung a punch at a police horse
Hampshire police have said they made five arrests at Tuesdays derby between Portsmouth and Southampton, including a man who swung a punch at a police horse before being chased down a street by its mounted officer.
Social media footage shows other officers being alerted to the incident on Goldsmith Avenue, near Fratton Park, before detaining the suspect. A 52-year-old man from Portsmouth, arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty and attempted criminal damage, was released from custody on Wednesday but remains under investigation. Police said the horse was not injured and remained on duty.
Police confirmed that a 40yearold man from Winchester, Dean Baigrie, was charged with possession of a firework/flare at a sporting event and throwing a missile on to a football playing area. He is due to appear at Portsmouth magistrates court on 31 October.
An 18-year-old man and a 19yearold man were given conditional cautions for a public order offence, and a 20-year-old was released with no further action taken after being arrested on suspicion of a public order offence.
Policing the first meeting between the sides for seven years, in the Carabao Cup, was said to be Hampshire polices largest-ever operation. Riot police, helicopters and drones formed part of the operation, though Southampton fans did not travel to Fratton Park in a coach bubble, as in 2011, owing to the timing of the match and because modern police tactics meant they did not need to instigate such restrictive measures.
Hampshire polices assistant chief constable, Scott Chilton, said: Sadly we had to prepare for the potential that a minority would try and ruin it for everyone else and this required us, in conjunction with both clubs and our partners, to put plans in place to ensure we were ready to stop that.
I think the fact that we have had no reports of anyone being injured and only a few people arrested is testament to the hard work that everyone has put into this operation. I would like to thank the fans for supporting our officers throughout the day and for those who helped us during the planning process.
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