No joke: 'Clown hunt' clips emerge as craze spreads

A video of what is claimed to be a violent confrontation between a person dressed as a clown and a car full of youths has been posted to social media in the latest incident in a growing backlash against the "killer clown" craze sweeping the globe.

Online commenters have been quick to label the video a fake and the incident is not believed to have been reported to police.

In the clip the group can be seen to drive past the individual, who is dressed in a clown costume and holding a baseball bat, before the driver turns the car around and confronts them.

The "clown" then drops the bat and cowers away from the man, who kicks him several times and appears to knock him to the ground and punch him before getting back in his car and driving away.

While the authenticity of the video is not known it is the latest in a series of posts aimed at "getting" people who dress up in clown costumes and roam the streets at night.

Last night a UK man posted a video of himself chasing a hammer-wielding clown with a bottle after he was accosted in a car park and thousands of fed-up Aussies have taken to "clown hunting" social media accounts.

Mobile phone video shows the man attempting to carry a case of beer through a Plymouth car park when his way is blocked by a person dressed in a clown suit and holding a hammer.

"***** off, what are you doing," the man asks. "I want to get past. I want to go home."

"**** you, get out of the way. Standing there thinking you're some sort of joker.

"Come on then, yeah. F*** off mate."

The man picks out a single bottle of beer from his case and runs at the figure while brandishing it, who immediately turns tail and runs.

Despite the threats of violence the "clown craze" continues to spread with dozens of sightings of creepy "killer clowns" reported across Australia with hundreds of images and videos posted online.

Thousands of Aussies have taken to Facebook and social media accounts to vow they will attack anyone who accosts them dressed in the creepy outfits with one account posting pictures of improvised weapons next to the caption "time to go clown hunting".

One Facebook page claimed a copycat clown was hospitalised after he was king hit in the south Sydney suburb of Caringbah, however police disputed that claim, saying no reports of assault were made overnight.

In Perth high school student Dennis Adlig shot a video showing a clown loitering on a street before chasing him and his friends.

Other posts on dedicated 'clown pages' suggest residents are lashing out against the creepy craze, arming themselves with bats and other makeshift weapons.

"These stupid idiots need to learn a lesson. I'd do the same if i saw one of these clowns," one Facebook user wrote.

"Time to go clown hunting," another man wrote.

Sightings in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney and Perth have been reported online, along with photos and videos of the incidents.

One photo shows a person wearing a clown mask standing in the main street of Broken Hill in New South Wales' remote Barrier region near the SA border.

Another grainy image appears to show a clown in the passenger seat of a car that was reportedly taken in Bondi.

A woman wearing a clown mask was photographed in the drive through of a McDonalds restaurant in Eagle Vale.

The movement appears to be a re-creation of recent incidents reported in the US.

Two women were arrested on Friday in the US - where the craze started - after dressing up as clowns and chasing two 14-year-old girls.

The 18-year-old women from Michigan were labelled “morons” and “idiots” by the local police department and are now facing disorderly conduct charges.

Victoria Police took aim at the growing number of copycats in Australia, saying the behaviour was "no laughing matter".

"Victoria Police are aware of people who are parading in the public wearing clown masks," they stated.

"Any intimidating and threatening as well as anti-social behaviours will not be tolerated and will be investigated by Police.”

On Saturday morning, South Australia Police had a similar message for the public, saying the random attempts to scare the public could have dire consequences.

"Police would like to emphasise to those who may intend to engage in this kind of behaviour, for whatever intention, that it could potentially result in danger to them or other members of the public. Particularly for people who may suffer from a health condition or who may retaliate as a result of feeling threatened."

The sightings began in August in the US state of South Carolina, after several residents of Greenville reported seeing clowns lurking in nearby woods.

Speculation began that the dress-ups were a promotion for the movie remake of Stephen King’s famous novel ‘It’, but the author quickly dismissed the claims.