Police are appealing for information following a series of nine robberies in Sutton yesterday (28 May), where teenagers were robbed of bikes and earphones, and a woman suffered nasty injuries after having her bag snatched.
Police were initially called to Sutton Park at 3.30pm, following reports two boys, aged 12 and 13 had been threatened with a knife and had AirPod wireless earphones stolen. Officers arrived and a 13-year-old boy and three 14-year-olds were arrested on suspicion of robbery. They remain in police custody today (29 May).
Just over an hour later, we were alerted to four robberies in the park, where four teenagers, all aged 14 or 15 – were approached by a group of up to 10 men, one of whom was believed to have had a knife. The group – thought to be in their 20s – took the bikes and no-one was injured.
At around the same time, a 16-year-old had his bike stolen by a group of four teenagers on Park Road, and a 13-year-old boy was approached by five teenagers who stole his AirPods on Penns Lane, Walmely.
The ninth robbery took place on Kineton Road, Boldmere, where a dog walker in her 60s was approached by a man, who pulled up in a blue Vauxhall Corsa before trying to snatch her handbag. When she tried to defend herself, he elbowed her in the mouth and pushed her to the ground before fleeing with her bag.
The woman was taken to hospital to be treated for injuries to her mouth.
CCTV is being reviewed as investigations continue and local officers have stepped up patrols in the area.
Detective Sergeant Craig Tennant said, “We are appealing for anyone with information or who saw anything to contact us as soon as possible. “We know there were lots of people in Sutton Park yesterday, so we are hoping someone can provide vital information to help us identify the people responsible. “Investigations are in the early stages, and although we are keeping an open mind, we are not linking these robberies at this stage.
“Although robberies of this number of not common in the area, we want to remind members of the public to be vigilant. “Many of the victims and the four arrested were teenagers, and therefore we also want to ask parents to ensure they know where their children are going and who they are with, especially as government guidelines are in place.”