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Video: Masked man attacks squad with paving slabs

When police began pursuing a stolen vehicle, 4 men jumped out and ran at the officers

By Amy Glendinning
Manchester Evening News

NORTH REDDISH, England — Police came under attack from a gang wielding paving slabs and baseball bats after chasing a stolen car.

Officers spotted the Audi A6 in Stockport while on patrol in the early hours of Sunday morning when it flashed up as being stolen.

They signalled the vehicle to pull over but it sped off, starting a high speed chase.

As officers turned the corner onto Windmill Lane in North Reddish, they expected the pursuit to continue.

But the Audi had pulled over to a sudden stop and four men wearing balaclavas got out and started running towards the patrol car.

Using baseball bats and paving slabs, they attacked the police car while the officers were still inside, causing extensive damage.

The four men then ran back to the Audi and drove off.

The officers inside the car were not injured in the attack.

The stolen Audi A6 was found abandoned on another street but the occupants had fled. In a separate incident, just over two hours before the attack on the police car, officers were called to a street two miles away in Abbey Hey after reports of shots being fired.

Witnesses said a man was seen firing two shots at a car on Butman Street at around 10pm on Saturday night.

The vehicle had been reported stolen earlier in the evening but, when officers arrived, the car had already left.

An investigation of the scene was carried out but no injuries or damage to property was reported. Police have now stepped up patrols around Butman Street and they are appealing for more witnesses to come forward.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said initial enquiries suggested that the two incidents were not linked.

However, officers are appealing for information about both the shooting and the attack on the police car.

Insp Matt Bailey-Smith of the Road Policing Unit said: “Thankfully none of the officers was injured, but this once again demonstrates how our officers can face violence in even the most innocuous of situations.”

He added: “I now want to hear from anyone who saw this car speeding off from Windmill Lane or has any other information.”

‘This demonstrates how our officers can face violence in even the most innocuous of situations’

Copyright 2013 Manchester Evening News