Police are appealing for witnesses after a large disturbance in Bolton.
Officers were called to Argo Street following reports that up to 40 people were involved in a fight just after 9pm on Sunday 27 March 2011.
However, when officers attended they found one man had been detained by a large group.
The officers tried to establish what was happening and as the crowd was very vocal and tensions were high, called for other officers to attend as back up.
Inquiries established the man had been detained by residents after a number of cars were damaged on Mancroft Avenue.
A 19-year-old man was arrested by police on suspicion of criminal damage and remains in custody for questioning.
Police will now be reviewing the circumstances surrounding the incident and are appealing to anyone with information to come forward.
Superintendent Paul Rumney said: "When the response officers attended it was unclear as to what was happening and tensions were understandably high.
"The catalyst for the incident was that cars had been damaged and one of those thought to be involved had been detained by members of the local community.
"When it became clear what had happened, a police inspector who knows the community and the area well went to the scene and spoke to one of the elders to try and calm everything down and eventually the crowd dispersed peacefully.
"Our main focus is now to review all the evidence and what happened, and a team of detectives will be doing that today.
"The man arrested remains in custody and will be questioned as the day goes on.
"I would appeal to anyone who has information about what happened or who witnessed the disturbance to call us as this could be crucial to our investigation.
"I also want to try and reassure the community that we will have high-visibility patrols in the area today and anyone who wants to approach an officer can do so, or contact their local neighbourhood office. We will also be speaking to local community leaders to explain what action we took and keep all residents informed about the arrest and the progress of the investigation."
