Man knocked down by car as he attempted to stop robbery at Preston sports shop

A man has been left with suspected broken ribs after being struck by a car while trying to stop a gang of thieves during a raid.

The incident happened at the Sports Direct store in Deepdale Retail Park in Preston shortly before 1.30pm on Monday.

Two men and a woman had left the shop without paying and staff found around a thousand pounds worth of stock was missing.

The trio ran to a grey Vauxhall Astra which was parked on Blackpool Road.

A man chased them from the shop and was knocked down by the car, leaving him with a number of injuries, including suspected broken ribs and cuts to his head and back.

Four people from Leeds have been arrested in connection with the incident, and police are appealing for witnesses.In a statement, Preston Police said: "We are appealing for witnesses, CCTV and dashcam footage following an assault in Preston. We were called to Sports Direct at Deepdale Retail Park at around 1.20pm (Monday 17th June, 2024)."It was reported that two men and a woman had entered the store and left without paying for around £1,000 worth of stock.

"The suspects ran to a grey Vauxhall Astra which was parked on Blackpool Road and a man who tried to stop them was knocked down by the car causing him to sustain suspected broken ribs and cuts to his head and back."Following multiple enquiries, four people, all from Leeds, were arrested and are currently in custody.

"A 37 year old woman is being questioned on suspicion of assault, theft and driving without insurance."A 20 year old man, a 17 year old girl and a 17 year old boy are all being questioned on suspicion of assault and theft."