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As word of the shooting spread throughout the community, rumours persisted that Mrs. Groce had in fact been killed in the raid. The group that had gathered outside her house grew to over 60,<ref name=TelgCGObit/> and then moved to the local district [[police station]], where they began chanting "murderers" and anti-police slogans,<ref name=ITNClip36/> demanding disciplinary action against the officers involved.<ref name=GuardArch85Brix/>
However, hostility between the largely black crowd and the largely white police force quickly escalated into a series of mild street battles.<ref name=GuardArch85Brix/> These then developed into elongated skirmishes in the areas of [[Brixton Road]] and [[Acre Lane]], where the first two of a total of 55 cars over the following 48 hours were burnt out.<ref name=GuardArch85Brix/> In response the police deployed the first 50 officers in [[riot gear]] in the afternoon, who approached rioters by banging their
That evening, the police lost control of the area for approximately 48 hours. In the subsequent riot, severe injuries were sustained by both sides, with police injured as they were attacked by young black youths equipped with bricks and wooden stakes.<ref name=GuardArch85Brix/><ref name=BBC2540397/> After further skirmishes, the rioters built a defensive wall out of upturned cars across the Brixton Road, which were set alight at various times. From behind this wall, the rioters threw [[petrol bomb]]s at the police, and looted local shops.<ref name=GuardArch85Brix/><ref name=BBC2540397/><ref name=ITNClip36>{{cite web|url=http://www.itnsource.com/compilation/S10021001/|title=Clip 36 of 44 - Brixton Riots|publisher=[[ITN News]]|date=28 September 1985|accessdate=10 July 2014}}</ref> Police later stated that they made 149 arrests that evening, mostly for violence, 20 for burglary and theft and two for petrol bombing.<ref name=GuardArch85Brix/>
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