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Dartford woman feared she would be blinded after car 'shot at by youths' in Princes Road

00:00, 01 July 2019

updated: 08:52, 01 July 2019

A woman feared she would be blinded when her car window smashed after “youths hiding in bushes shot at it”.

The 35-year-old, who wants to remain anonymous, was a passenger as her husband drove down Princes Road, Dartford, on Saturday, when her passenger-side window suddenly exploded.

She initially thought a cyclist riding past had targeted her car with a brick, but when she got out to ask questions, she realised it wasn’t him as they both heard a gunshot.

The incident happened near Costa Coffee in Princes Road, Dartford. Picture: Google Street View
The incident happened near Costa Coffee in Princes Road, Dartford. Picture: Google Street View

The cyclist then said he had seen a group of youngsters hiding in the bushes and looking out suspiciously.

The woman, an administrative worker from Dartford, was left angered and worried by the incident.

She said: “All I remember is my husband driving the car and then suddenly hearing this big impact.

"I'm going to have to take another route now, I can't risk going down there again..." - victim

“My initial thoughts were ‘am I going to be blind or be seriously scarred?’, I was so shaken up by it all.

"These people are clearly getting some kicks out of endangering other people’s lives. What do they want? Are they waiting for someone to die, or cause a pile-up? There needs to be more cameras in the area to record what’s happening.”

The victim, who didn’t suffer any injuries, claims she saw a young man leave the bushes minutes later “putting something down his trousers” as he smirked at them.

She added: “He had a shifty look about him. I didn’t want to approach him or antagonise him in case something bad happened.

Police arrived at the scene an hour after it happened. Picture: Stock
Police arrived at the scene an hour after it happened. Picture: Stock

“I just want people to be aware of what’s happening, so that if something similar has happened to them they might report it.

“I’m going to have to take another route now, as I can’t risk going down there again.”

Police spokesman Jo Pattison said: “Police were called at around 2pm to reports a car window had been smashed while vehicle was driving along Princes Road, Dartford. Officers attended the scene and are investigating the incident.”

No weapons or projectiles were found in the area by officers.

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