A MAN was left hospitalised with serious injuries after being viciously beaten with a hammer in a violent attack whilst he shopped.
The assault unfolded in a newsagent on Stratford Road in the Sparkhill area of Birmingham, West Midlands last Wednesday.
The seemingly unprovoked attack was caught on CCTV and saw the shopper brutally charged by a man wielding a hammer, who proceeded to batter his victim before quickly making his escape.
Video footage shows the unnamed victim standing by the till in the small shop whilst inaudibly conversing with the shopkeeper.
As he leans on the counter, a man dressed in a black jacket and grey trousers can be seen through the shop window sprinting towards the store’s door.
The victim turns to face the man at the last second but before he can even raise an arm to defend himself, the attacker barrels into him, hammer in hand, and appears to land a blow with the tool to the side of the man’s head.
The shopkeeper watches on in horror, shouting at the attacker as his customer is further brutally assaulted.
The victim falls to the floor and the hammer-wielding thug jumps on top of him, with the pair falling out of view of the camera as the brute raises the weapon to continue to beat him.
The rest of the attack unfolds in a matter of seconds before the criminal appears back on screen, ignoring the shopkeeper and hastily running out of the store.
The shopkeeper, obviously shaken by the sudden outburst of violence looks around in shock and walks over to check on the victim before running out of the shop after the attacker.
The footage was shared to social media yesterday with the caption: “Sparkhill – proving once again Birmingham is special.”
It has since gained over 250 likes and dozens of comments from users left stunned by the brutal attack.
One user said: “Cheaper than a dentist.”
Another added: “Did he survive? The first hit was nasty.”
A third wrote: “About that MP who said Sparkhill was a no-go area. I think he was on to something.”
Another replied: “That’s quite obviously street beef, that guy has just been caught lacking from the [opposition], if you don’t deal drugs and s**t you’ll be fine.”
Speaking today, a spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: “We are appealing for information after a man was assaulted with a hammer in Sparkhill.
“It happened on Stratford Road, near to College Road, at around 2pm on Wednesday 21st February.
“A man in his 20s was taken to hospital with serious injuries. We are asking anyone to come forward with information which may help our enquiries.
“We are especially keen to speak to anyone who was on Stratford Road, between Springfield Road and Shaftmoor Lane around the time of the attack, or who was driving through the area and has dashcam footage.
“You can contact us via 101, or Live Chat on our website quoting log 2391 of 21st February 2024. Information can also be sent to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
