Two teenagers arrested after cyclist sprayed with fire extinguisher at traffic lights

Two teenage boys have been arrested on suspicion of affray after a cyclist was blasted with a fire extinguisher at a set of traffic lights in Eccles, Greater Manchester, earlier this week.

Dashcam footage of the incident, shared by the Manchester Evening News, shows a cyclist stopped at the junction of Worsley Road and Liverpool Road at around 4.15pm on Monday 10 April.

In the clip, a teenager then appears brandishing a fire extinguisher, which he aims in the cyclist’s direction, covering the shocked rider in plumes of white powder, before scarpering – and dropping the extinguisher on the pavement – as his victim briefly sets off in pursuit.

According to a witness, the boy had sprayed a van using the fire extinguisher just seconds before he turned his attention to the unsuspecting cyclist.

“It was quite a big cloud so I was a bit confused what it was,” the passer-by told the Manchester Evening News. “When I saw his face smiling, I honestly thought, ‘no way will he do it to the guy on the bike’.

“I was shocked at how brazen he was. The chap on the bike stopped just on the other side of the road and picked up the extinguisher. He just stood there covered in powder looking shocked, and angry.”

> Cyclist injured by axe-wielding youths during attack along popular trail

The witness continued: “It’s actually quite scary that there are a lot of kids around at the moment who have absolutely no fear or respect. Every time something like this happens, there are people who are too scared to go out in case something happens.

“It might seem funny to some people, but it really is making a lot of people fearful to walk the streets even in broad daylight.”

Yesterday, Greater Manchester Police announced that two teenage boys have been arrested in connection with the incident.

The youths, aged 13 and 14, were arrested on suspicion of affray and remained in police custody for questioning.

Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with footage related to the alleged attack, with those with information asked to call Greater Manchester Police on 101, citing CRI/06FF/0011129/23.

“We are determined to clamp down on anti-social behaviour and I hope that these arrests reassure the community that their safety and wellbeing is our number one priority,” Salford-based Superintendent Paul Coburn said in a statement.

“If anyone has any information that they’d like to share with us, I urge them to get in touch.”