Manhunt for armed robbers that subjected victims to terrifying ordeal
A man hunt is underway for armed robbers who burst into a pub, tied up two witnesses, sprayed CS gas in their faces and assaulted one with a cash till.
At around 3.15am on Monday the 11th January, three men armed with hammers, CS gas and a firearm broke into the Church Inn, Cambridge Street in Hulme, via an unsecure bathroom window.
One of the men climbed through the window and unlocked a secure fire exit to allow his two accomplices into the building.
Once inside, they entered the living quarters of the pub and tied up two of the occupants with cable ties.
They demanded the victims hand over any valuables and open the safe in the property, and stole the mobile phones of both people they had tied up.
The offenders then carried out a search of the property, and when they came across two other occupants they assaulted both of them with hammers and sprayed them with CS gas.
After attacking the two victims, the offenders entered the pub premises and stole the cash tills.
Before leaving the pub the men hit one of the victims in the head with the till, possibly breaking her jaw, and left through the fire exit.
In total, the offenders made off with about ÂŁ200 in cash and three mobile phones.
The first offender is described as male, around 5ft 2in tall, slim build, with very blue eyes. He was wearing a black balaclava, dark clothing and sounded young, though was trying to project a deeper sounding voice.
The second man is described as white, around 5ft 10, stocky build and had a local accent. He was wearing a black woolly balaclava.
The third offender is described as black, around 5ft 10in tall, and of average build. He was wearing a black balaclava and dark clothing.
Detective Constable Kat Kerrigan said:
“This was a very serious aggravated burglary, in which four people have been either tied up or seriously assaulted.
“It is believed these men were in possession of a firearm, but thankfully they decided not to use it at any point.
“However, they still subjected these poor victims to a horrific ordeal and left two of them with very serious injuries after launching a vicious assault with both hammers and CS gas.
“The violent nature of this crime means it is vital we identify and apprehend these men as quickly as possible, so I am asking anyone who may have information that could help our investigation to call police as a matter of urgency.
“The pub is very close to student accommodation and some flats, so I am hoping that there will be some people in the area who may have seen something suspicious."
Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101 quoting incident number 110116/0197 or the independent charity Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.