Armed Police Hunt Two Suspects After Sword Attack Near Gloucester Schools

LONDON, Nov 6 (OPA) — Gloucestershire Police responded to reports of an altercation in Chalford Road, close to St Peter's High School in Tuffley, shortly after 8:50 a.m. on Friday. Officers said two suspects fled the scene following the incident, during which two 17-year-old boys were targeted. One victim sustained a superficial wound from a sword, while the second victim avoided physical injury. Neither required hospital treatment.

Five schools in the area enacted emergency lockdown protocols as a precaution while armed officers, drone units, and the National Police Air Service scoured the neighborhood. Police later stopped a vehicle and arrested a woman on suspicion of assisting an offender. She remains in custody for questioning as investigators gather witness statements and review security footage.

Detective Inspector Sophie Dawkins acknowledged the severe anxiety caused by the incident during morning school drop-off times. Investigators described the primary suspects as two white males: one in his late teens to early 20s, standing around 6 feet tall with a medium to large build and wearing white sliders, and a second suspect described as roughly 5 feet 5 inches tall with a skinny build, dressed entirely in black.

Local neighborhood officers maintained a visible presence around the affected schools throughout the day to reassure parents and students. Authorities urged anyone with mobile phone footage, dashcam recordings, or direct observations of the confrontation to contact police immediately as the manhunt continues.