Appeal for witnesses to assault – Witney

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses to an assault in Witney yesterday (28/2).

We were called to Wenman Road at around 2.45pm after reports of an assault involving weapons.

A man in his twenties left an address on the road holding two large knives and approached a teenage boy – they are believed to be known to each other.

The man then dropped the knives and picked up a baseball bat.

The boy then tackled the man, leading to a fight, during which, the man hit the boy to the head with the bat.

Other people then got involved in the fight to try to break it up before the offender ran off.

Police officers, including an armed response and the National Police Air Service helicopter, attended swiftly and searched the area for the offender, but he was not found.

The victim suffered a serious head injury but refused hospital treatment. Three other people suffered minor injuries in the altercation and did not require hospital treatment.

Detective Inspector Iain Roberts said: “We understand this assault and our response may have caused concerns to the community but we are confident this was a targeted attack involving people known to each other.

“We do not believe there is any risk to the wider public but anyone with concerns should speak to a uniformed police officer or get in touch.

“We will not tolerate this sort of behaviour on our streets so we are continuing to investigate the assault and find the offender to bring them to justice.

"We are appealing for any witnesses and anyone with information about what happened to come forward.

"Anyone with footage or pictures of the incident should also send them to us and please do not share them on social media.

"Please either call 101 or make a report on our website, quoting reference number 1136 of yesterday.

"Alternatively, provide information anonymously to independent charity Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111 or via its website."

JD