Dudley motorists attacked in carjacking spree
Carjackers targeted three motorists within four hours in a Black Country borough – pulling a terrified pensioner from his vehicle and speeding off with his dog inside.
Carjackers targeted three motorists within four hours in a Black Country borough – pulling a terrified pensioner from his vehicle and speeding off with his dog inside.
The 81-year-old was one of two drivers dragged from their cars, while another two victims were robbed in the street in a spree which detectives believe may have been carried out by the same attackers.
The robberies in Dudley began when a woman was knocked to the ground before having her bag stolen as she walked along grassland off Wrens Nest Road just before 11am.
Just over an hour later police received two reports of carjackings in Dudley town centre. In the first, two people tried to steal a Hyundai car from a couple on Martins Hill Street. They were unsuccessful and the couple raised the alarm.
Moments later, an 81-year-old man was forced from his car outside Dudley Leisure Centre. He was dragged from his Peugeot as he waited for his wife in the car park, at 12.25pm. The victim's spaniel dog was inside at the time and was taken along with the car.
Ten minutes later the car crashed at the junction of Baptist End Road and Cinder Bank in Netherton. The culprits fled on foot, leaving the dog, who was later reunited with his owner.
Around an hour later, a man was attacked and robbed of his mobile phone and wallet as he walked along the canal towpath near to Highbridge Road in Netherton. The 42-year-old was taken to hospital with facial injuries.
And later that afternoon, a man parked at the Merry Hill Centre was threatened and forced from his Ford Fiesta in the multi-storey car park near to Debenhams, shortly after 3pm.
DS Mick Greenland, from the force criminal investigation department, said: "At this stage it is difficult to confirm that the offences are all linked, however initial descriptions and the locations give us cause to think they may be connected.
"Thankfully there were no serious injuries as a result of the robberies, however, the victims were all clearly shaken and upset by their various ordeals."
* A 14-year-old from Dudley and a 15-year-old from Pensnett have been arrested and are being questioned. Anyone with information should call 0345 113 5000.
