Police Deploy Tanks To Quash Riot Outside Metallica Gig

Police were forced to intervene on Wednesday after a riot broke out outside a Metallica concert in Colombia.

Around 160 people were arrested and at least eight people injured during the angry clashes in Bogota, which caused widespread damage.

The disruption is thought to have involved hundreds of fans who had failed to get tickets to the sold-out gig.

Police had already deployed 1,500 officers and four tanks after messages were posted on social-networking websites apparently inciting violence.

Four officers and four fans were treated for injuries, with reports of one knife wound.

Ruben Castillo, a local police chief, told Sky News: "Those people that did not get in wanted to get in by force.

"The presence of police and riot teams was necessary because these misfits - there's no other name for them - damaged some windows in the surrounding area."

The concert, which went ahead despite the clashes, marked Metallica's first return to Colombia since 1999.

(by Jason Gregory)

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