Man stalked in street by males with weapons before getting smacked over head and back with bat

The victim was approached on three separate occasions by a group of four males in a small, grey Audi who shouted homophobic abuse and pulled out a knife prior to the attack.

The terrifying incident happened between 9:40pm and 11:55pm on Friday 16 May - with the first approach taking place on Petersfield High Street outside of Marks and Spencers. “A car pulled up next to him and asked for directions, before the driver became verbally abusive towards him,” police said.

“The driver then followed the man on to Cranford Road and showed him a box-cutter styled knife. Three men exited the car and blocked the footpath, shouting homophobic abuse and threatening to punch the man.

“The man tried to walk a different way away from the group, and was again approached by the Audi on Borough Road near to Siward House. On this occasion, four men exited the vehicle, one of whom had an object that looked like a pole or a bat. The man ran away, but was hit on the head and the back.”

Police said he was not seriously injured during the incident and called a taxi to leave the area.

Three of the males involved in the incident have been described. The first male was said to be white, aged 16-17 years old and 5ft 9 inches tall with a slim build and brown hair who was wearing a navy blue tracksuit with stripes.

The second male was white aged about 20 years who was 6ft tall with a slim build and dark brown hair. He was wearing a black tracksuit with white accents, a black baseball cap and black and white trainers with soles that widened towards the bottom.

The third male was white and aged around 20 who was 6ft tall with a slim build and dark brown hair. He was wearing a dark coloured zip-up tracksuit and a white t-shirt.

Police added: “We would like to speak to anyone who was in the areas of the High Street, Cranford Road or Borough Road around the time who may have witnessed the incident.

“We would also like to speak to anyone who has CCTV, doorbell camera or dashcam footage from these areas around this time.

“If you recognise the description of the vehicle or persons involved, or have any information which could assist our investigation, please report this to us.”

You can call 101 quoting reference 44250214569 or report online via https://www.hampshire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/

Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111, or report via their website, below:

Independent UK charity taking crime information anonymously | Crimestoppers

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