AN ANGRY dad made a citizen’s arrest after a thug punched his car while his eight-week-old daughter was inside.

Examiner staff helped restrain the 37-year-old man after he fled to the newspaper’s office on Queen Street South yesterday afternoon.

The man tried to escape by hurdling a hedge but was brought down by a car park attendant.

The drama unfolded at 2.30pm yesterday when Alan Haque, 33, was driving along Queen Street South with his eight-week-old daughter Grace in the back of his grey Ford S-Max.

The Newsome man was on his way into the town centre when a man ran in front of his car.

He said: “I had to make an emergency stop and then the guy punched my car window.”

Mr Haque chased the man but was unable to catch him.

He said: “I went back to my car and then I saw him again, but this time he had taken off his fleece.

“He ran into the Examiner reception to seek refuge but I went in after him. I told him to stay where he was and I called the police.

“I couldn’t restrain him so he came out the front door.”

Examiner publishing director Nigel White and newspaper sales manager Craig Reynolds went to the front door after reception staff reported the commotion outside.

Mr Reynolds, 47, said: “We were just trying to calm the guy down, to get him to cool it.”

Mr White, 47, added: “The guy was struggling a bit so I blocked him on one side and Craig blocked him on the other.

“We trapped him in the revolving door but he escaped.”

The man ran from the door towards Queen Street South, chased by Mr Haque and Norman McDonald, who runs the car park on the former Honda site next to the Examiner.

The man tried to hurdle a hedge in the Examiner car park but was tackled by Mr McDonald.

The 42-year-old from Bath Street said: “He shot off round the car park and I blocked his path. I leapt over the hedge and landed on him.”

Mr McDonald added: “I work as a doorman in Leeds, so this kind of thing doesn’t bother me.”

The four men then restrained the vandal for two minutes until police arrived to arrest him.

The man was last night held in custody on suspicion of causing damage to a motor vehicle, police said.