Police have closed Wellington Street in Dewsbury town centre after a man was attacked earlier this morning.
Armed police were called to the scene shortly after 10am after reports of an assault. Detectives are currently hunting three suspects.
The Examiner understands that a gang of thugs pulled a man from a car and attacked him with baseball bats, smashing him around the knees and legs. Several armed police response vehicles attended the scene and the road – at the side of the former Dewsbury Reporter office opposite Dewsbury Railway Station – was closed off.
A convoy of police vehicles have surrounded a white taxi cab and a black BMW which has its windows smashed in. If you witnessed the attack or have any information please call police via 101. You can also contact our newsdesk on 01484 437712.
Follow our live blog on this incident for any updates.
Key Events
We’re going to wrap up this blog now but you can follow further updates on our main blog as well as other news, including the Birkby shooting and the attack outside Parliament.
Gallery of today's incident
Here is the full story we have so far on the attack in Dewsbury.
Taxi driver caught up in melee
Mr Hassan, 66, was driving his taxi when it was shunted by a black BMW.
Taxi driver caught up in the scene speaks of his horror
A taxi driver has told how his car was shunted forward as the victim’s car was slammed into.
The victim in the BMW was being pursued by another vehicle carrying men who then dragged him out and attacked him with weapons, thought to be baseball bats. The suspects’ car collided with the victim, who was then pushed into a taxi in front.
Taxi driver Hassan Ahmed, 66, said: “I was waiting at the give way and a BMW shunted into my car after it was hit from behind by a VW Passat.
“The men from the Passat then got out and dragged the driver into the road.
“They all had baseball bats and started hitting him all over.He managed to get up and ran away but only managed to get a short distance as they chased him and again struck him.
“He was bleeding on the ground and people were starting to notice what was going on. Then the men got back in the Passat which was quite badly damaged and fled.”
Wellington Road re-opened
Wellington Road has re-opened, according to our traffic partners INRIX. We originally reported this was Wellington Street, but the scene is at the junction with Wellington Road outside the station.
Dewsbury attack : Full story so far
Here is the full story we have so far on the attack in Dewsbury.
Louise Cooper speaks to eyewitnesses
Our reporter Louise Cooper has been at the scene in Dewsbury this morning and speaking to people who witnessed the attack, including the taxi driver who was caught up in it all.
We’ll have more on this shortly, so stay tuned.
Unconfirmed reports taxi driver tried to help victim
Another eyewitness claims that the driver of the taxi was helping the victim of the attack. It is not thought he has been hurt.
A woman said: “I was there when they started beating him up there were around 5 men all with bats”. She added it “was awful to see”.
We are waiting to hear confirmed reports of this.
Eyewitness: "Masked men hit victim on floor"
One eyewitness has said: “It was awful I only saw a bit of it - two masked men hitting one man on the floor with weapons then one car sped off.
“Then they hit him more then they got in their car and sped off as well. It’s not good when there is other people around and children.”
Victim taken to Pinderfields with "serious injuries"
Police have provided us with an update into the assault, and have said the victim is currently in hospital.
A spokeswoman said: “Police were called to a violent assault in Dewsbury town centre this morning (22/03).
“The incident happened around 10am on Wellington Street, in Dewsbury when a male was attacked by a group of men with weapons.
“The suspects fled the scene in a grey car.
“Police and ambulance attended; the victim suffered serious injuries and was taken to Pinderfields Hospital.
“Enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances of the incident.
“Any witnesses to the incident are asked to call police on 101 quoting log 431 of Wednesday 22 March.”
What we know so far
If you’re just joining us, here is what we know so far about the attack in Dewsbury.
- Police were called at around 10am this morning following reports a man had been attacked in Dewsbury town centre
- Armed officers attended the scene and Wellington Street, opposite the station by MP Paula Sherriff’s office, has been cordoned off
- Police have confirmed they are looking for three suspects in connection with the assault
- Witnesses can see a white taxi and a black BMW surrounded by police cars - the BMW has its front windows smashed in
- There are reports circulating that the man was attacked with baseball bats, but this has not been confirmed by police
Welcome to our live blog on the ongoing incident in Dewsbury
Thanks for joining us - we’ll be providing live updates into the ongoing incident in Dewsbury.
If you witnessed the attack or have any information, please contact police via 101. You can also speak to our live blogger on 01484 437765.