TEENAGERS celebrating their exam results in a Glasgow park were attacked with a “screwdriver” and another with a “saw” in an ambush by rival youths which left three schoolboys in hospital.
An altercation erupted on Tuesday evening between some of the 100 revellers who had gathered in Overlee Playing Fields, in Clarkston, near Glasgow, to toast their exam success and another group.
It is claimed a number of boys fled the area before returning in a white van wielding weapons.
It is believed a boy aged 16 was stabbed in the chest with a screwdriver and remains in a stable condition. Another is thought to have sustained a head injury after being struck with a saw.
Social media footage shows a teenager charging at dozens of youths armed with a saw. A separate clip also shows the gang throwing glass bottles at other teenagers
Some residents believe the attack involved a group from Castlemilk area.
One Clarkston resident Amy Mackay said the exam revellers feared for their lives.
“It happened in the forest part of Overlee and they chased after them,” she said. “Then once they got out of the park there was a van and boys came out with saws, knives and swords. The men that came were older, about 30.
A Police Scotland helicopter was deployed to assist officers and additional patrols of the area will now be provided in the aftermath.
Detectives, however, said they have yet to establish the circumstances leading up to the attack.
Detective Sergeant Jim McLauchlan from Cathcart CID said: “We believe this to be an isolated incident involving two separate groups of teenagers in the area and extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances around what happened.
The incident took place on the day pupils across Scotland received their exam results.
Local councillor David MacDonald claimed he had warned police of rising tensions as he called for more patrols and warned locals not to indulge in vigilantism.
Cllr MacDonald said: "While I would never condone the public doling out their own justice I completely understand the frustrations of many people throughout East Renfrewshire. We have to get real.
"The local police command need to get real. They are hideously under resourced and it needs to be addressed. Clearly the status quo is not working."
Eastwood MSP Jackson Carlaw called the incident shocking and said the violence was unacceptable.
He said: “This was the happiest of days for many young people across Eastwood.
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“That it should end with a shocking and violent incident is as unacceptable as it is alarming.
“My best wishes go to the boys injured together with my hopes for a full an early recovery.
East Renfrewshire MP Paul Masterton called the incident "truly shocking".
He said: “This was an extremely frightening incident and my thoughts are with those injured and their families. I hope the two boys taken to hospital make a full and speedy recovery.
“I would also like to send my thanks to the emergency services who attended quickly to bring the situation under control.
“Yesterday was a day for young people across East Renfrewshire to celebrate fantastic achievements in their exams, and for it to have ended like this is truly shocking."
Mr Macdonald said at least five or six ambulances were on the scene throughout the course of the evening, alongside a "large police presence".
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