Police officer is dragged in road by car thieves

A POLICE officer was dragged along the road as she tried to stop two carjackers who had attacked a takeaway driver.

The men had earlier threatened people with a knife at a house party on Kersal Road, Prestwich, on Wednesday night.

After leaving the house, the thugs jumped a delivery driver nearby and fled in his Nissan Micra. Police were called to the scene and saw that the stolen Micra had returned, so an officer and some bystanders tried to stop the carjackers from leaving.

As the officer reached in through an open door to remove the keys, the driver reversed.

She did ‘everything in her power’ to stop them but was pulled along the road and knocked to the floor, detectives said. She suffered injuries to her hands and feet, but was later released from hospital. The men sped away and the Micra was found abandoned in Cheetham Hill.

A police dog unit was brought in and one of the suspects was traced to George Street. The other offender suspect remains at large.

He is described as an Asian man, aged in his late twenties, of medium build and around 5ft 6ins. He had straight hair with short sides, stubble and was wearing a T-shirt with dark jeans.

Neighbours on the road, just off Rainsough Brow, spoke of their shock at the incident.

One man who lives with his partner said: “We’ve just had a new baby so we’ve been up a lot but we didn’t hear anything major out on the street. But we woke up this morning and saw all the police cars.

“It’s a scary thought, someone going in the house and threatening them like that. I hope the officer is okay.”

Another woman said: “I did see a Micra come zooming past my window last night.

“At the time I didn’t think much of it at the time as there’s always something going on in this street.” A 31-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of robbery and assault. He remains in police custody for questioning. Det Insp John Stainton, of GMP’s Bury borough, said: “This officer did not hesitate to do everything in her power to stop the offender, but instead, the driver chose to reverse the stolen car causing her harm. “We have a man in custody but our enquiries to find out what exactly happened remain ongoing – the offenders threatened and hurt innocent members of the public, and caused real distress to people who live in this area.” Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 8181 quoting incident number 2636 of 16/05/18. Reports can also be made anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Det Insp John Stainton