Police still investigating 50-man Paceville New Years Day brawl

Police investigations into a large-scale brawl that took place in Paceville in the early hours of New Year’s Day are still ongoing, according to an official spokesman.

Although police are understood to be speaking to a number of persons, a police spokesman said on Saturday that no arraignments were expected today.

Around 50 people were involved in the disturbance outside an establishment in Triq Gort in Paceville, with police using taser guns to control some of the brawlers.

In a statement late on Friday the police said three people - a 33-year-old Libyan man, a 34 year-old-man Libyan man and a 36-year-old Irish woman - were taken to Mater Dei hospital for further treatment.

The fight broke out at around 1am on New Year’s Day among a group of Syrian nationals at the Al Ustura restaurant in Paceville. The allegedly crowded restaurant was supposed to be hosting a dinner in line with COVID-19 restrictions.

It is not clear what sparked off the fight but officers from the Rapid Intervention Unit were soon despatched to the scene, using taser guns in an attempt to control the large crowd that had spilled out onto the street.  

Footage published online shows police outside the establishment, detaining a number of people, including the driver of a vehicle who appears to attempt to flee the scene by driving through a group of officers. The police, however, succeeded in stopping the car and detained those inside. 

The driver had been involved in the brawl and was attempting to flee the scene, according to a police spokesman.   

Despite initial reports stating that the persons involved would be arraigned on Saturday, the spokesman later clarified that investigations were still ongoing and that any arraignments are unlikely to take place before next week.