A woman was knocked to the ground by her own car as she tried desperately to stop a thief from stealing it. Police are investigating after the woman's red Ford Fiesta was stolen in broad daylight on a busy Cardiff street earlier this year.
CCTV footage captured the moment the male thief got into the car, which was parked on Leckwith Road in Canton on July 12. He then started it and began to reverse, with the owner bravely trying to prevent him from driving off by flinging open the passenger door as he tried to escape.
However, the woman was knocked to the ground after being hit in the face by the door as the thief reversed quickly before driving off at speed along the road. Get the latest news from across Cardiff sent straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletter.
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Following the incident, the woman was left badly bruised, and needed stitches for a "number of facial injuries", according to South Wales Police. However, while the car has since been recovered and examined, police have been unable to identify the man responsible for the theft.
Police are now appealing to the public for help in identifying the suspect after launching "extensive enquiries" since July. Having released CCTV footage of the shocking incident, they have also encouraged the man responsible to come forward and make himself known to police.
In a statement, a spokesperson for South Wales Police said: "Police in Cardiff investigating a car theft captured on CCTV are appealing for help to identify the man responsible. The female owner of the red Ford Fiesta bravely tried to intervene by opening the passenger door but the suspect reversed and sped off from the street in Canton.
"The woman was hit in the face by the car door and knocked to the ground. She was badly bruised and needed stitches for a number of facial injuries. Extensive enquiries have been carried out since the incident on July 12 to identify the suspect but his identity is still not known. The car has been recovered and examined.
"Anyone with information or the individual himself is asked to please contact us online https://orlo.uk/Dirb3 quoting reference: *232154."
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