12:05 pm, July 24, 2023
Police in the north of England have made four arrests after a gang of balaclava-clad yobs stole a Range Rover while it was out on a test drive.
A salesman from a dealership in Blackpool was showing the SUV to two potential customers when the hoodlums jumped out and stole the car.
Police say that the group threatened the salesman as the vehicle came to a stop near to the exit of the dealership’s grounds.
They then fled the scene before being picked off by by the authorities around an hour later on the M6 motorway, near Leyland.
Officers have so far refused to name the dealership involved in the attack but confirmed that four men were arrested at the roadside.
The quartet, aged 34, 21, 29 and 34, from the West Midlands, were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and robbery.
They have since been released on bail pending further enquiries.
A spokesman for Blackpool Police said: ‘We arrested four men after a Range Rover was stolen from a car dealership in the Blackpool area.
‘Officers were called just after 4pm last Wednesday (July 19) to a report of theft of a motor vehicle.
‘The Range Rover had been taken for a test drive by two customers in the grounds of the dealership.
‘When it stopped near the exit, the salesman was confronted by a group of men wearing balaclavas and the Range Rover was driven away.
‘Approximately an hour later, our officers stopped the Range Rover and another car on the southbound carriageway of the M6 near Leyland.
‘Four men, aged 34, 21, 29 and 34, from the West Midlands, were arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and robbery.
‘They have since been released on bail pending further enquiries.’
Car Dealer has approached Lancashire Constabulary for comment. The investigation continues.
