Police hunt hit-and-run raider (From Stroud News and Journal)

Police hunt hit-and-run raider

A HIT-and-run thief escaped the clutches of security guards and police at two Stroud supermarkets.

The drama involved a car chase across the county and resulted in a nine-year-old Stroud boy being taken to Gloucestershire Royal Hospital with whiplash injuries.

The drama began just after 3.20pm on Thursday when the man was seen leaving Tesco in Stratford Road with £95-worth of meat tucked inside a bag.

Store staff told the News & Journal that the thief filled the bag full of meat where he could not be spotted, then calmly walked out.

Security guards and shopfloor staff spotted him and struggled to stop him leaving but he fought them off and escaped in a Ford Sierra, leaving the meat behind.

Police were called when the suspect car was seen in Sainsburys car park at Dudbridge.

A police blockade at the car park entrance failed as the culprit mounted the pavement and drove off.

The car was seen heading for Paganhill at around 3.50pm and shortly after 4pm it smashed into two vehicles on the Stroud Road near St Peters School, Tuffley.

First it collided with a blue Volvo driven by a Stroud woman, whose passenger, a boy of 9, suffered whiplash injuries. The Sierra then hit another vehicle before being abandoned shortly before 5pm in Moreton Road, Gloucester. The boy was later released from Gloucester Royal Hospital.

The man police want to speak to was described as white, aged 23 to 25, 6ft tall, of skinny build, with collar-length dark wavy hair and a dark moustache. He was dressed in black.

Any witnesses to any of the incidents should call Stroud police on 01452 521201 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555111.