One of the more notorious cases of mob violence involved the Tottenham Riots in October 1985. Rioting developed into major proportions in a short period of time, and police came under severe attack. Rioters were mostly young and of mixed ethnic origin. The weapons varied from hand-thrown missiles and firearms to clubs, knives, machetes, and empty metal beer kegs. Police sealed off the area, and a joint incident room was established to direct operations. This room coordinated police, fire, and ambulance services. Police were equipped with special riot clothing. About 1,000 police officers were employed to contain the rioting, 248 of whom reported injuries. Burning vehicles were a major problem for the emergency services. Thick clouds of black smoke from burning tires obscured visibility. Communication problems hampered riot control, and there were many cases of robbery and looting. 3 references, 1 table, 1 figure.