Hundreds of teenagers swarm central London throwing boxes at police for pop-up shop

Hundreds of teenagers began throwing signs at police as they descended on central London for the chance to snatch some clothes.

Soho Square was filled yesterday with young people – mainly boys – trying to get free clothes from pop-up shop Zoned.

The store sells streetwear and attracts hundreds of people.

Footage of the event has been posted to TikTok and Instagram, with the phrase ‘don’t die for garms’.

Groups can be seen climbing statues, tussling against each other and throwing pizza boxes in the faces of police officers who were sent to control the crowds.

One video shows two boys lying on the ground with Lime Bikes, as police officers try to haul them away from each other.

The Metropolitan Police refused to provide a comment.

Outside of Soho, children can be seen sprinting down Oxford Street towards the centre of the action.

But it has not stopped today, with the clothing brand announcing another pop-up event today in Kentish Town.

Metro has contacted Zoned for comment.

This is hardly the first time a pop-up shop has sent central London into a frenzy.

Last February hundreds of teenagers were seen swarming police vans on Carnaby Street with one boy seemingly stealing an officer’s jacket.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed at the time the vehicle was damaged and contents stolen from the inside.

Two boys aged under 16 were arrested on suspicion of theft, criminal damage and affray.

Archie McNicol, 16, has been to similar pop-up events before and decided to try his luck at getting hold of some free clothing.

But he told Metro this was ‘one of the worst’ he’s ever seen as the crowds grew bigger and more raucous, reacting to police officers trying to defuse the situation by chanting ‘f*** the feds’.

‘There were thousands of people coming down Carnaby Street and pushing into each other,’ Archie said.

‘I was maybe 5metres away from the van and I was crushed, I couldn’t move, people were panicking and lots of people were passed out by the side.

‘I even heard fireworks going off, I didn’t see anyone setting them off but I heard bangs, there were people throwing their shoes and chucking water bottles.

‘About five minutes in, police got on top of the van and tried to disperse it, but the brand’s main image is “f*** the feds” so when people are trying to get free clothes and the police are trying to stop it, it became complete chaos.’

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