Boy is forced to take off his sneakers by a group of thugs during a robbery at a bus station

A boy was forced to take off his trainers by a group of thugs during a robbery at a bus station in Ashton-under-Lyne. Police were called to the incident on Monday evening (April 22) following reports that two teenage boys had been victims of a robbery by another group of men.

The two young victims, aged 13 and 15, had their phones and Airpod earphones stolen by five other teenagers. One of the victims was told to take off the sneakers he was wearing. These were also taken.

The five suspects were later tracked down by officers on a tram, where two large knives and a screwdriver were uncovered. One of the suspects was even wearing the sneakers that had been stolen a few minutes earlier.

READ MORE ‘Can’t stop, won’t stop’: The tragedy behind dead Gooch boss Lee Amos’ deadly vendetta

Five people, aged between 14 and 18, were later arrested and the stolen items were found in their possession and returned to the two victims.

One 18-year-old man, two 17-year-old teenagers and a 15-year-old and 14-year-old boy have been arrested on suspicion of theft. The 14 and 17-year-old boys were also arrested on suspicion of possession of an offensive weapon. They remain in custody for questioning.

Chief Inspector Arif Nawaz, from our Tameside district, said: “Response officers attended the scene and spoke to the victims. They quickly established that the suspects had boarded a tram heading towards central Manchester.

“They passed this information on to specialist officers from the transport unit who were able to trace the tram. The perpetrators tried to flee, but were quickly apprehended by officers from our transport unit. One perpetrator was found hiding in a forest by the police dog present.

“All perpetrators were searched and property belonging to all three victims was found on each of the perpetrators; one perpetrator even wore the victim’s sneakers.

“During the searches, large knives were found on two of the perpetrators and a screwdriver on another. Our officers present also noted that the five suspects committed another robbery while they were on the tram.

“This is a great example of proactive policing from our local response and transport teams. By working together, they were able to take dangerous weapons away from the perpetrators who carried them on the tram network and return the stolen items to the young victims.”