AN eyewitness to an armed ATM theft has described how he was attacked by the thieves as he attempted to film them on his phone.

The 41-year-old, who did not wish to be named, lives in a flat near the Sainsbury’s Local on Buttercup Walk, said a glass bottle was thrown at him, cutting his arm.

He also heaped praise on the lone police officer who confronted the masked men during the raid in the early hours of September 4, before giving chase in his patrol car.

West Mercia Police has said no arrests have been made in relation to this incident, or another cash point theft at Morrisons on Malvern Shopping park on August 24.

The witness said the police officer who responded to the Sainsbury’s theft alone, “deserves a bravery award”, having also sustained injuries.

As the thieves made their getaway, the officer arrived and rammed their Audi S4, which smashed his windscreen and burst two tyres, said the witness.

Despite having sustained injuries as well as damage to his car, the officer gave chase – with the black estate car later found abandoned in Michael Crescent, Malvern.

“He was there late at night on his own,” said the witness, who has lived in Malvern for seven years and had returned to his own flat by this point.

“If they’d got out of the car, they had crowbars, bottles and other weapons. There was four of them.”

The witness himself, who was with a friend, had been the first person on the scene and said the other thieves had already broken into the supermarket when he confronted the “lookout”.

It is believed the offenders broke through the glass on the store’s security door next to the ATM to get access to it.

“I got my phone out and started recording to get the number plate,” the witness continued. “The guy looked over, he saw me and approached us. He threw a bottle towards us. It smashed on my arm, it was going towards my head.”

Realising he was bleeding, the witness went back to his property and was later treated by paramedics, before giving further police officers the footage he’d filmed.

Referring to the moments in which he confronted the lookout, he said: “I wasn’t scared at the time, I just wanted to get the evidence. Afterwards, I didn’t sleep that night or the next day.”

Police later said the Audi is believed to have been stolen and confirmed a member of the public and a police officer received minor injuries during the incident.

Detective Inspector Tony Garner urged anyone who saw anything suspicious to speak to police by calling 101 and quoting incident 9s.

The detective added: “One of our officers was injured whilst responding to this incident, which is clearly unacceptable and is take very seriously by the force.

“I would like to recognise the bravery of the police officer trying to tackle these offenders.”