Edinburgh man 'chased with knife' and assaulted after confronting group
An Edinburgh man has spoken of the terrifying moment he was forced to flee after he was chased by a person carrying a knife.
The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said the incident happened after he approached a group of men who he said were dumping waste within an open plot between Waterfront Avenue and West Granton Road on Monday afternoon.
After taking a picture of the group, he said he was chased by two men - one brandishing a knife - who tried to tackle him to the ground.
The resident said: “I suspected these men were going to be burning something so I wanted to get their picture. I approached them with my phone but they chased me and one of them was carrying a knife.
“They tried to tackle me to the floor but I managed to run away and get across the street. They stopped chasing me after that, probably because they thought there would be too many witnesses.”
A fire was later reported in the area at around 2.30pm, with photos showing plumes of thick, black smoke rising into the air.
The man, who has lived in the area for the last 10 years, said: “These fires happen quite a lot in this area. Sometimes the fires are so bad you can’t go outside – it’s toxic thick smoke.
“It looked like they were burning rubber cables this time – usually they do this kind of thing at night and I don’t see it happen, so when I saw them, I wanted to get their picture so something can be done about this.”
He added that antisocial behaviour in the area has become rife over the last two years, with reports of people using e-bikes and quads on pavements and fly-tipping.
“There is a pathway that runs through that area of land but residents don’t want to use it to go to the shops anymore because it feels so unsafe. And now the place just looks like a dumpster and nothing is being done about it,” he said.
“This is our neighbourhood and we’re all being affected by it. But it’s almost more upsetting that nothing is being done about it.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 2.10pm on Monday, March 2, we received a report of an assault of a man between West Granton Road and Waterfront Avenue, Edinburgh.
"Officers attended however there was no trace of anyone in the area. Enquiries are ongoing.”
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has been approached for comment.