Mansfield car thief chase: Police praise two bystanders

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Two bystanders who tried to stop a man attacking a 20-year-old woman in a Mansfield car park have been praised by police.

The man forced the woman into the passenger seat of her car and tried to start the car before running off with the keys.

A 27-year-old man was arrested by police following the incident on Sunday afternoon.

A 17-year-old man who chased the attacker suffered slight injuries.

'Real courage'

"There was a scuffle in which the teenager was slightly hurt," a police spokesman said.

A 46-year-old woman also tried to intervene and was threatened by the man.

Nottinghamshire Police have asked anyone who witnessed the attack in the Regent Street area of Mansfield to contact them.

Detective Inspector Rich Monk said the two people who intervened "showed real courage, risking injury to themselves in the protection of another".

"It's comforting to know there are people of such calibre out there," he added.