Updated 2.30pm with PN statement 

Youths celebrating Junior College election results shoved a police sergeant to the ground and banged on a squad car outside the Msida college early this morning, police said today. 

Police had picked up an 18-year-old Naxxar resident caught lighting a flare when students surrounded the police car and started banging on it. 

The sergeant tried to calm the situation. But rather than cool off, a group of youths threw unidentified liquids at her and then pushed her, dropping her to the ground. 

Junior College student council elections were held yesterday, with results announced late in the evening. 

An eyewitness told Times of Malta that youths in the crowd outside the Junior College let off three rocket flares during the late-night celebrations. 

"These were the kinds of flares usually used at sea. Letting them off inside a crowd was crazy," they said.

"Police showed up around one hour after the celebrations started. They should have had someone there from the very beginning, before things got out of hand." 

Video uploaded to Facebook by student news outlet Insite (see above) showed Pulse activists running out of the college the moment their victory was announced. In the video, one student can be seen lighting a flare within metres of the college entrance, lighting the night sky with a red haze. 

Other video uploaded by student organisation The Third Eye showed hundreds of students gathered outside the college, some with bandanas on their faces to protect themselves from flare smoke. 

The incident happened at around 1.45am. Police said they were called to the Junior College after receiving reports of excessive noise. 

An ambulance was called to the scene and the sergeant was taken to Mater Dei Hospital for treatment. Doctors said her injuries are grievous in nature. 

Police investigations are ongoing. 

In a statement, the Nationalist Party condemned the incident, saying an attack on the police is unacceptable.