Three heroic Yorkshire binmen who stopped gunpoint carjacker praised for bravery

Three heroic binmen who stepped in to tackle an armed carjacker have been praised for their bravery.
The binmen have been praisedThe binmen have been praised
The binmen have been praised

East Riding of Yorkshire Council employees Richard Gaukroger, Ben Crawford and Steve Thirsk helped other bystanders to apprehend a man who was allegedly attempting to steal a car at gunpoint in Baxter Gate, Hedon, on Friday morning.

Mr Thirsk, driving the lorry, used his vehicle to block in the carjacker and stopped him from driving off.

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His two colleagues then jumped out of the cab and helped four other people tackle the man, pinning him to the ground until police arrived.

Humberside Police said a 23-year-old man has been arrested.

The incident was one of a series of vehicle thefts, including a post van, carried out between 3.20am and 7.30am on Friday by two men believed to be carrying imitation firearms at various locations in Hull, Hessle and Hedon.

No-one was injured but victims were left "traumatised", police said.

Detective Superintendent Grainne Casey said: "I would like to express my thanks to everyone who has called us with information and would especially like to highlight the bravery of the public who assisted us in arresting the man in Hedon."

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Councillor Symon Fraser, the council's spokesman for asset management, housing and environment, said: "I'm extremely proud of the actions of these three binmen who went above and beyond the call of duty to help in a potentially dangerous situation, along with other people at the scene.

"This is a shining example of how our dedicated workforce will go that extra mile to help residents and the community.

"On behalf of the council I'd like to thank Richard, Ben and Steve for what they did, and also thank the other residents in Hedon for their bravery during the incident."