London Riots Spread to Third UK City

Rioting in England has moved beyond London, spreading north to the cities of Liverpool and Birmingham Monday night.

Like a train running from London to Liverpool, the riot first had to stop at Birmingham before moving further north. Birmingham sits about 100 miles away from both London in the southeast and Liverpool in the northwest.

In what police and the British media are calling a "copycat riot," gangs of masked youth began looting retail shops in the center of the city, and the new Bullring shopping complex was attacked. Anywhere from 30 to 80 people have been arrested so far in the midlands city, according to varying reports.

In Liverpool, police are reporting a "number of isolated outbreaks of disorder," including the familiar trademarks of the London rioters, namely burning cars and broken windows.

Liverpool is traditionally a working class city, with a similar reputation as the tough, blue-collar Tottenham, where the riots began Saturday evening. Witnesses are detailing incidents of violence and destruction mirroring what has been happening London for the past few days.

"They are stopping cars, pulling people out of the cars, then setting fire to the vehicles. Every car they have walked past has been absolutely trashed, with all of the windows smashed," a Liverpool resident told Australia's Sydney Morning Herald. "Literally, hundreds of cars have been damaged."

"We can confirm that officers are dealing with a number of isolated outbreaks of disorder in the south Liverpool area," a spokeswoman for Merseyside Police in Liverpool stated.

"Officers were called at around 10 p.m. to reports of vehicles on fire and criminal damage.

"A number of officers were deployed to the area to deal with the incidents and the force is dealing with its partners and other members of the emergency services."

In the London neighborhoods of Hackney and Peckham, masked and hooded looters attacked and set fire to city buses.

"We are getting growing reports of bus drivers being caught in the middle of the unrest breaking out across London. We are extremely concerned for the safety of these workers and their passengers," stated Peter Kavanagh, a union representative for Transport for London.

Rioting and looting has been ongoing in the British capital since Saturday, when angry citizens of Tottenham marched to police headquarters to protest the shooting of 29 year-old Mark Duggan. The anarchy then spread to Hackney, Peckham and Lewisham on Monday afternoon and reached the neighborhoods of Ealing, Camden and Croydon by nightfall.

More than 300 police officers from other cities have come to the aid of London's metropolitan police. Anticipating further violence, police have built barricades in Shepard's Bush and closed streets in Harlesden.

Additionally, stores closed in advance of potential looting in Stratford, Clapton and Islington.

At last report, 215 people have been arrested in London so far, and 27 have been charged. Police reported at least 35 officers injured.