Armed gang linked to car jacking

Police hunting an armed gang who threatened supermarket staff in Darlington say they are linking the incident to a car-jacking in Yorkshire.

Security guards from Morrisons on North Road followed the suspected shoplifters, one of whom pointed what is believed to be a handgun at them.

Officers say a Ford Fiesta, in which the gang tried to escape, was taken at gunpoint from its owner in Wakefield.

Police say it is absolutely imperative the gang is traced.

Suspected shoplifters

The silver Fiesta was stolen from the car park in Wakefield on Thursday, when the owner was sitting in his vehicle.

He was confronted by three men, had a gun pointed at his head, and was ordered out of the car.

Later that night - at approximately 2030 BST - security guards at the Darlington supermarket confronted a gang of suspected shoplifters behind the store.

They detained one of the suspects, but then the Fiesta, containing two men and two women, pulled up nearby.

One of the men got out of the car, pointed the gun at a member of staff, and ordered them to release the suspect.

'Absolutely imperative'

The gang then tried to escape in the car, but crashed into brickwork at the base of a railway bridge in Hopetown Lane.

They left the Fiesta and fled towards the Hopetown Lane and Brinkburn Road areas.

Acting Det Sgt Sharon Spooner of Darlington CID said: "Faced with the threat of the gun, the supermarket staff quite properly backed off.

"But since police believe it's possible the gang may now be linked to two firearms incidents, it's absolutely imperative that the perpetrators are caught as quickly as possible."

Anyone who saw the incident near Morrisons, or witnessed the gang fleeing after the crash should contact Durham Police.