Three men, including an 18-year-old from Bristol, have been arrested following a raid on a Vodafone store during which a store worker was assaulted. Officers employed a stinger device at junction nine of the M5 in order to burst the tyres of the suspected getaway car.
Police were called following a report that two men had caused damage to the Vodafone store on Castle Street, Cirencester. Two mobile phones were stolen.
The men had entered the shop at around 9.30am and threatened staff members before pulling over display stands, causing customers to flee from the store. One woman reportedly ran out of the shop chasing her dog.
One of the men assaulted a staff member by pushing them while the other man stole two iPhones. They then ran from the store to a car that was parked nearby and made off in the vehicle which was being driven by a third man.
Within 45 minutes, CCTV operatives and officers from several different teams had tracked and located the vehicle. A stinger was then deployed to stop the car as it left the M5 at junction nine.
Gloucestershire Police said: “A search of the vehicle at the roadside revealed a number of suspected stolen items which were recovered, including two iPhones which were believed to have been stolen from the Cirencester store earlier. The vehicle was then seized.”
“Two men from Birmingham, aged 19 and 31, and a man from Bristol, aged 18, were arrested in connection with the incident. They have been released on bail while investigations continue.”
Anyone who witnessed the incident or who has information which they believe to be relevant is asked to complete the online form, quoting incident 128 of 21 September.