Woman Tries to Stop Shoplifter, Is Dragged Under Van in Somerset
A mother of two attempted to intervene when a woman fled a Co-op with unpaid goods in Paulton, Somerset, and was pulled under a van’s wheel.
While shopping for milk at a Co-op in Paulton, Somerset, Hayley Bush was warned by staff that a woman was taking steak and other high-value items without paying. Bush pursued the woman, offering to cover the cost if she was in need, but the suspect fled toward a parked vehicle. The thief told the driver to “drive,” and the driver reversed, dragging Bush’s leg under the front wheel of the black Vauxhall Combo.
Bush escaped with bruised leg injuries and did not require hospital care. Avon and Somerset Police have issued appeals for information, describing the female suspect as a white woman with long black hair in a green dress and grey fleece, and the male driver as a white man in blue jeans and a grey hooded jumper. The incident highlights rising shoplifting rates, with retailers reporting billions in losses and adopting measures such as forensic sprays and “naming and shaming.”
