I was fearing for my life... Video posted online of man being brutally attacked by 20 teenagers in subway ambush
A MAN was brutally attacked by a mob of around 20 teenagers in a subway on his way home.
Tom Sandall said he feared for his life during the horrific attack in Bury town centre.
A Snapchat video of the incident has been shared thousands of times on Facebook and has sparked outrage.
The footage shows a group of young thugs surrounding Tom before repeatedly punching and kicking him.
Police launched investigation.
Tom, 25, was walking home after meeting a friend when he was set upon at about 8.30pm.
As he walked around the back of the Wilko store at The Rock, he was approached by one of the teenagers, who asked him for a cigarette.
Tom said ‘no,’ but the group followed him.
When one of the group appeared to provoke him by clipping his ankle, Tom turned around and told them to leave him alone.
He says several youths then pounced on him at the opening to a subway running below Peel Way.
“I was just minding my own business,” said Tom. “It suddenly have an escalated and then they were punching me in the head.
“I fell down at one point and I was fearing for my life. I didn’t know when the beating would stop.”
After breaking free, Tom tried to escape, but the youths attacked him again.
In the footage, a female can be heard shouting ‘leave him alone’ and ‘this isn’t funny’ as the youths continue to deliver a flurry of blows to Tom’s head and body. He said: “I still can’t believe it, you don’t expect to be mobbed by a group of people.
“They were opportunistic and waited until no one was about.
Tom Sandall
“I got off lucky. It was pretty brutal and you hear about people dying because of one punch.”
When the beating eventually stopped, Tom sprinted home before calling the police.
He was left with serious bruising to his face, while the youths also stole his phone and a bag containing keys, a Christmas present from his dad and cycling equipment.
A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said they were aware of the incident and had launched an investigation.
In a statement, they said: “No arrests have been made and enquiries are ongoing.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 9741 quoting incident number 1102 of 18/12/2019, or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.