Footage of a man being tackled and arrested while carrying a baseball bat still inside its covering has sparked a major reaction online – but police have since provided further context surrounding the incident.

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The encounter took place on Market Street in central Manchester on Sunday, 9 August, with a crowd gathering as events unfolded in the busy city centre, per Channel 5 News.

Video shared across social media shows a police officer approaching a man who is carrying a baseball bat.

Moments later, the situation escalates, and the man is tackled to the ground.

More officers then arrive at the scene on motorbikes before the man is placed in handcuffs and escorted into the back of a police van.

It was the appearance of the bat, however, that quickly became one of the biggest talking points surrounding the footage.

The baseball bat could be seen still wrapped in its covering, leading to claims online that the man had only just purchased it from a nearby shop.

As the footage spread, critics questioned why somebody apparently carrying a newly purchased and packaged baseball bat had been detained in such dramatic circumstances.

But Manchester Police later issued a statement which challenged one of the central claims being circulated alongside the footage, per LBC.

According to police, enquiries established that the baseball bat had actually been bought the previous week rather than immediately before the encounter.

Police also said the man, who is in his 30s, was detained and arrested after refusing to engage with the officer who approached him.

In its statement, Manchester Police said: “One of our city centre officers approached a man who had a baseball bat on Market Street on Sunday 9 August’, the statement said.

“The officer tried to engage with a man in his 30s who refused and he was eventually detained and arrested.

“He has since been released with no further action.

“Enquiries found the bat was bought the previous week, but no intent could be proven and therefore no crime was committed. Our Professional Standards Directorate has reviewed the footage, and no misconduct has been identified.

The clarification means that while the footage appeared to show a man carrying a bat that remained wrapped up, police enquiries concluded it had not been purchased immediately beforehand as some social media users had suggested.

Crucially, officers were also unable to establish that the man intended to use the baseball bat as a weapon.

He was therefore released with no further action, with police stating that no crime had been committed.

Manchester Police’s Professional Standards Directorate also reviewed the footage of the encounter and found no misconduct.

The incident highlights an important distinction when it comes to carrying items such as baseball bats in public.

Under UK law, carrying an offensive weapon in a public place is illegal.

However, the circumstances and intended use of an object can be significant in determining whether something constitutes an offensive weapon.

The Sentencing Council describes an offensive weapon as “anything made or adapted to cause injury, or intended to be used as a weapon”.

That means a baseball bat can potentially be classified as an offensive weapon if the person carrying it intends to use it to cause injury.

In this case, though, police said no such intent could be proven.

What initially appeared online as a striking clip of a man being tackled while holding a still-covered baseball bat therefore came with considerably more context once police explained what their enquiries had established.

The man was ultimately released without further action, while the force’s own review of the footage concluded that no misconduct had taken place.

Featured image credit: X