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Pictures show the dramatic moment when a suspected car thief ‘fell out of a getaway vehicle’ as his gang ‘fled after being spotted’.

A shopper said they took the pictures after visiting the Parkgate shopping centre, in Rotherham, on Wednesday, after seeing someone inside their car as they made their way back to the vehicle. Police are investigating the alleged attempted theft, and say it was reported that the getaway car was driven towards someone as it tried to get away.

The shopper sent the pictures to The Star to warn people about the threat of car thieves.

Asking to be anonymous, the motorist said they were leaving the shopping centre when they saw a "young boy" attempting to steal their blue Ford Fiesta.

This picture shows the dramatic moment when a suspected car thief fell out of a ‘getaway vehicle’ as his gang fled after being spotted at Parkgate in Rotherham

They said a silver Ford Fiesta was parked next to their vehicle with a group of people inside

They added: "As soon as the boy heard us he quickly left our vehicle to get into the other vehicle and nearly hit us while they tried to escape.

"Luckily I didn’t get hit. The boy that tried stealing our vehicle slipped out (of) their vehicle and scraped his leg and hit his chin.

"We ran towards him to stop him but his friend that was sat in the rear seat waved a machete knife at us to scare us off so his friend could get back into the vehicle after falling out."

Pictures show the dramatic moment when a suspected car thief fell out of a ‘getaway vehicle’ as his gang fled after being spotted. This shows him trying to get into the car

They told The Star that they thought they had just come out of the shop at the right time to see what was happening, and were shocked that the incident happened in broad daylight in a car park.

The incident, on Wednesday 22 March, has been reported to South Yorkshire Police, who are investigating

Police said officers were investigating reports of an attempted wounding and vehicle theft.

They said in a statement: "It is reported that on Wednesday March 22 at 2.30pm a man returned to their car parked in a car park and found an unknown man inside.

"The man is then alleged to have got into another vehicle which is reported to have been deliberately driven at the victim before fleeing the scene. The victim was unharmed during the incident."

Rotherham Parkgate: Pictures show youth fall from ‘getaway car’ after alleged car theft attempt