Netherton road closed after 'sword-wielding man' seen in mass brawl
Armed police sealed off a street after a brawl broke out in broad daylight with one man "wielding a sword".
Officers descended on Cinder Bank, in Netherton, Dudley, at around 10am on Sunday close to Champions Church.
It came after several 999 calls were made to police to alert them to the mass fight.
West Midlands Police said they were told "one man had a sword-like weapon".
Six men were detained at the scene of the busy road near homes, businesses and a pub.
One man held had cuts to their hands. But police say no-one was seriously hurt.
Five of the men were later released and are helping police with their enquiries but one man, aged 40, was arrested on suspicion of affray.
The force's firearms unit tweeted to say they were called after reports of a "person wielding a sword".
They added: "After detaining several people, one person has been arrested and the weapon recovered."
Detectives have launched an investigation with officers from Dudley Police.
One resident, who wished to stay anonymous, said: “I didn’t see or hear it happen, but I heard people walking past my house and calling the police.
“We came out afterwards and saw all the police here, and the armed police.
“It’s scary to see that on your doorstep, everything that’s happening in Netherton makes you not want to live here anymore, especially with kids in the house.”
Another resident heard shouting outside before “several” police officers swarmed the area.
He said: “There was just a lot of shouting and I didn’t take too much notice at first.
“Then after having a look I saw all the police outside one of the homes, several of them with guns.
“It was pretty chaotic and people were being told to stay inside.
“I didn’t see anyone get arrested, just the cars and the officers, I went back inside after that.
“It’s never nice for something like this to happen here, but I’m not surprised.”
Another neighbour added: “It was very scary, I kept the kids inside so they didn’t see anything. We shouldn’t have to put up with this.
“I’m around the corner, and no directly on the road, so it was easier to shelter them from it, but crime is just out of control now.”
Anyone with information can call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.
