Five people were taken into police custody Tuesday afternoon after what is believed to be a violent road rage incident in East Vancouver.

Police responded to several 911 calls reporting a group of people fighting with weapons near the area of East 51st Avenue and Inverness Street around 4 p.m.

Few details were known at the time, but footage captured by CTV News showed a man covered in blood and a baseball bat on the ground. A large area was taped off as police focused their attention to nearby sewers.

Vancouver police later said that a dispute between drivers escalated into a confrontation involving several people and dangerous weapons.

Officers said Wednesday that they still don't know what sparked the fury, nor do they know exactly where it began. Vancouver Police Const. Jason Doucette said they believe it likely started a few kilometres away, and that witnesses reported seeing two vehicles speeding through the area.

"Whether or not they were chasing each other, we weren't sure," he said.

The vehicles came to a stop in the area where police later found the group, and a fight broke out between a woman, two brothers and two other men.

Several witnesses said the man covered in blood was not in either vehicle, but lived in the area where the fight occurred. They said his brother was in one of the vehicles, which is likely why he got involved.

Witnesses said they saw one man swinging a baseball bat, and another brandishing a lock for a car steering wheel. Vancouver police have provided few details, but confirmed they seized several weapons.

Officers said there is no indication that the parties involved knew each other prior to the fight, but that their relationship would be part of the investigation.

Five people were taken into custody in handcuffs – one of whom was treated in hospital – and officers expect to lay charges against two of them.

With a report from CTV Vancouver's St. John Alexander