Stuntman clings to bonnet of Mercedes in an effort to stop thieves

A MOVIE stuntman has told how he threw himself on to the bonnet of his Mercedes Benz and clung on for almost a mile in an attempt to thwart thieves.

Matt Spooner was giving a test drive to a potential buyer in High Wycombe, Bucks, when he was assaulted and the car taken. When the “buyer” refused to get out, Mr Spooner, who works with film stunt teams, jumped on the bonnet and the thief sped off.

He managed to jump off later but suffered cuts and bruising to his face.

Police, who described the victim’s experience as “horrific”, are appealing for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward. Mr Spooner met the potential buyer of his silver Mercedes Benz E250 CDI in Berkeley Road at about 6pm on Wednesday, but after a short test drive, he was assaulted from behind. “Next thing I knew, he was in the car and I had a serious situation on my hands,” Mr Spooner told the BBC. “I ran round to the front and asked him politely to step out. I then ended up on the front of the vehicle and it began to move. I realised that this was it, so I got my feet off the ground and held on tight and that was it, we were away.”

The thief drove the car and its owner on to the A40 towards Beaconsfield then slowed down, at which point Mr Spooner, fearful he would not survive, “skidded off to the side of the kerb”. Mr Spooner, who was selling the car to pay for a holiday, said: “I’m definitely not a hero, and no one else should do this.”

Although he helps film crews devise stunts, he added: “It’s a bad plan to do them yourself.”

Pc Francesca Keen, of Thames Valley Police said: “A thorough investigation has been launched and we are specifically appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the incident or have any dashcam footage of it. Equally, if anyone has found a discarded number plate ending in ONS or witnessed any suspicious activity involving a silver Mercedes E250, please let us know.”