Two teenagers are understood to have ‘shot’ at a West Midlands Santa during a charity sleigh ride. Father Christmas was reportedly in the middle of his fund-raising street tour for the Sandwell Lions in Oldbury when he came under attack on Sunday, December 17.
The driver of the sleigh, ex-police officer David Glover, said he heard loud ‘pops’ and saw a youth on a moped with a brightly coloured gun, reported The Metro. Mr Glover told the publication: “As it starts to get dark we pull up to make a stop and these two youths, on a black moped, come screaming up to Santa with their phones out.
“There is a big crowd – they just rode straight through them and nearly knocked over one of our collectors.” The youths were then said to have circled back armed with a ball-bearing pistol, and ‘shot’ at Santa.
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Sandwell Lions confirmed there had been ‘anti social behaviour’ directed at their volunteers. A spokesman for the club wrote on Facebook: “To our followers: You may have seen some newspaper reports describing some anti social behaviour our volunteers experienced on Sunday night.
“We didn’t want to comment because we didn’t want the legacy of our recent sleigh runs to be based on the negative acts. We would like to instead focus on the joy the sleigh runs have brought and the incredible community spirit and support we have had on every sleigh run. One family even brought out hot chocolate and biscuits to our weary collectors.
“Thank you to everyone for their kindness and support of our fundraising efforts. #SandwellLions #KindnessMatters #WeServe.”
Every year, like many lions clubs in the region, Sandwell Lions raise money for local charities by bringing festive cheer to the borough with their Santa sleigh run. Huge crowds will pack the streets as part of the much-loved tradition.
BirminghamLive has contacted West Midlands Police for a response on this incident.
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William Turner is a seasoned U.K. correspondent with a deep understanding of domestic affairs. With a passion for British politics and culture, he provides insightful analysis and comprehensive coverage of events within the United Kingdom.
