Appeal for witnesses following burglaries and serious assault in Horsham

At around 1.50am on Friday, June 20, officers responded to reports of a disturbance at a commercial premises in Redkiln Close.

On arrival, police said several vehicles were seen fleeing from the scene, including a white BMW 3 Series and a transit van.

It is believed that the transit van, which was reported stolen earlier that evening from a residential address, was used in a burglary at a warehouse, where a number of electric bikes were stolen.

During the suspects’ escape, Sussex Police said the driver of the white BMW struck a man who had been attempting to intervene.

Police said he sustained serious injuries and was taken to hospital.

The transit van was later found abandoned nearby, the force added.

Detective Inspector Gary Jacobs, from the West Sussex Burglary Investigation Team, said: "This was a brazen and violent incident and we are following several lines of enquiry to identify those responsible.

“We understand how incidents like this can impact the local community, so we'll be carrying out extra patrols in the area to provide reassurance.

“We're also encouraging residents and business owners to review their security and take some simple steps to help protect their property.

“Our website offers a range of practical burglary prevention advice."

You can find burglary prevention tips here: Protecting your home from crime | Crime prevention | Sussex Police.

Officers are urging anyone who witnessed the incident, saw any suspicious activity in the area around the time of the offence, or has any dashcam or CCTV footage that may assist with enquiries, to come forward.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police online or by calling 101, quoting serial 109 of 20/06.