A teenage footballer was "kidnapped and forced to spend £400 on laughing gas" in a 3am terror drive.
The 18-year-old footballer was kidnapped, beaten and made to spend the hundreds of pounds on laughing gas in a three-hour terror attack, his horrified father has revealed.
Tragically, the young athlete "keeps having flashbacks" of the incident, which is said to have happened between 3am and 6am on Sunday, February 12.
West Midlands Police have confirmed they are now investigating occurrence.
The lad was said to have been punched and threatened with being stabbed in the legs - which would have his chances of success in the sport he loved - unless he kept buying the nitrous oxide for his kidnappers.
According to the 18-year-old's father, he was bundled into a car at around 3am after he tried hauling down a taxi after leaving nightclub Lab11 in Digbeth following a night out with friends.
Horrifyingly, it has been alleged that three masked men and a blonde woman proceeded to drive the teen around ten 24-hour shops in the city as he spent £400 on canisters of the gas, reports Birmingham Live.
The footballer - who was with Walsall FC - was punched and elbowed in the face when he said he had run out of money.
His 65-year-old father said that the alleged ordeal finally ended when the thugs threw out his phone and passport and dumped him outside of a convenience store in the city.
Police have confirmed that they are investigating the incident, after the teenager's dad said that the woman entered every shop with him to make sure he followed orders.
However, he has revealed that the whole family have been left traumatised by the ordeal.
Speaking out on behalf of his son, the 65-year-old said: "I haven't pressured him to give me all the details as I don't want him to keep reliving what happened - although he will have to do that with police.
"He keeps having flashbacks. He met these people, or was collared by them, coming out of the club - three men and a girl. Somehow they threatened him to get in their vehicle. From there the kidnap started because they were threatening to stab his legs - as a footballer you can't say anything worse really.
"He had to go to ten different places and was forced to buy balloons. There were ten different transactions on his card coming to about £400."
The dad continued: "To put someone through that for balloons is really nasty. He said it got to a point where he said: 'Look, I've no more money' and that's when they punched him and elbowed him in the face.
"He's bruised above his eye. He was with them for three hours. It's horrible and heartbreaking - he's only 18."
The footballer - who now plays for a non-league team - described the suspects as three white men, up to 6ft tall, and a white blonde-haired girl.
He added that they were all in their 20s.
Meanwhile, the dad-of-five said: "There are predators out there looking for vulnerable people.
"They were really intimidating. Three hours is a long time. They travelled some distance.
"The family are all traumatised. He's broken down over it. It's the fear of it. He kept saying to me: 'I just wanted to get home'. What I'm concerned about is his mental state. We're getting him the support he needs."
A West Midlands Police spokesman said: "We're investigating after a man reported being thrown into a car as he walked towards Digbeth High Street at around 3am on Sunday, February 12. The 18-year-old was threatened and punched, causing bruising, and driven to a number of shops. He was later left in Bordesley Green Road at around 5.50am.
"We understand this would have been a frightening and upsetting experience and we’re working hard to establish exactly what happened and track down those responsible, with officers trawling CCTV from around the area and speaking to witnesses.
"Anyone with information can contact us via Live Chat at west-midlands.police.uk, call 101, or to speak 100 per cent anonymously contact independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. Please quote investigation number 20/177814/23."
