Three teenagers have been arrested after a man was allegedly beaten to death with rocks on a beach in Leysdown-on-Sea, Isle of Sheppey, Kent.
Police were called to the seaside resort around 7 p.m. on Sunday, August 10, following reports of an altercation involving a small group of people. Emergency crews found a man in his 40s with serious injuries. Despite paramedics’ efforts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Kent Police said a 16-year-old girl and two boys, aged 14 and 15, were arrested on suspicion of murder shortly after the incident. Locals claimed the victim had been struck with stones and rocks before he died.
Anthony West, site manager at Jimmy G’s Amusements, said the teenagers were detained inside the arcade near the seafront. “I was working in the ice cream shop across the road at the time. I heard a commotion so came outside to see what was going on. There were four cop cars parked out the front. One of the boys was in handcuffs in the car,” he told reporters, adding that police called for backup, and about 15 patrol cars arrived in total.
Another local business owner, Anton Jasnu, manager of Quick Convenience store, said he initially believed someone had suffered a heart attack. “People were trying to give him CPR and he had tissue on the back of his head, I think they were trying to stem bleeding,” he said.
The attack took place in an area busy with beachgoers enjoying the Sunday sunshine. A police cordon has been set up in a large clearing behind the beach, near a caravan park, with specialist officers using sniffer dogs to search for evidence. Parts of the scrubland behind Warden Bay Beach have also been sectioned off.
Witnesses reported seeing multiple ambulances, police vehicles, and an air ambulance at the scene. Some initially thought the helicopter was a routine coastguard presence.
All three suspects remain in custody as the investigation continues. Police are appealing for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.
