Two Preston teenagers have been released on bail by police.
A 14-year-old girl and a 15-year-old boy were arrested on suspicion of affray.
The arrest followed a video which appears to show a homeless man being threatened with a knife in a Preston car park and then having his possessions torched.
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Officers are continuing the investigation into the 42-second video which is circulating on social media.
They are also trying to locate the man who was sleeping in the Market Car Park when he was approached by the youths on Saturday 8 September.
HAUNTING VIDEOS CAPTURES THE MOMENT THT A GROUP OF YOUTHS IN PRESTON CITY CENTRE TERRORISING A HOMELESS MAN WITH A KNIFE BEFORE SETTING HIS POSSESSIONS ON FIRE. The video shows several youngsters swearing and shouting at the confused man as he lies slumped in the street. A knife is then produced and pointed at the man before the blade is swiped in a threatening manner. The clip, which is believed to have been taken on September 8, also shows what appears to be the man’s duvet being set alight. Comedian and campaigner Robin Armstrong shared the video on his Facebook last night in an attempt to name and shame the perpetrators involved. The video begins with a group of young people chanting and singing whilst jumping up and down. The clip, which is taken using the social media app Snapchat, then begins to zoom in and out of the homeless man who is lying on the ground with a white duvet wrapped around him. A boy can be heard shouting: ‘What you saying mate, what you saying bro.’ The clip then pans round to one of the youths saying the same phrase, but holding a knife at the same time. When the homeless man turns towards the camera, in a plea to be shown some mercy, he is met with a response saying: ‘What you looking at cuz, I’ve got a flashlight on innit."The clip then ends with the duvet going up in flames and in the distance a group of youths can be seen crowding round the homeless man. The words: ‘We don’t fuck about it’ can also be heard. Police said they are aware of the video but have not yet had any reports of the incident.
Posted by Preston Local News on Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Inspector Helen Dixon, of Lancashire Constabulary’s South Division, said: “This is an extremely unpleasant incident and we are working with outreach services in the city to find this man and address any safeguarding concerns.
“We are also trying to identify the young people in the video so we can take appropriate action.”
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Anyone with information should call police on 101 quoting log 751 of September 26.
Advice on support services available to homeless people in Preston is available here.