A woman was hit by her own car as she attempted to stop an alleged thief from driving off with it on a busy street.
The victim was left badly bruised after frantically trying to prevent the daytime robbery in Cardiff on July 12, reports Wales Online.
Shocking CCTV footage released by police shows the moment a male appears to breaks into the red Ford Fiesta on Leckwith Road in the Canton area of the city before quickly starting the vehicle.
The man then begins to reverse, with the owner scrambling to stop him by opening the passenger door.
But she is knocked to the ground when the door hits her in the face as the thief reverses further, before he switches into drive and speeds away.
South Wales Police confirmed the woman was left badly bruised and needed stitches for a "number of facial injuries" following the incident.
The car has since been recovered and examined, though the suspect remains at large.
Police are now appealing to the public for help in identifying the suspect after conducting "extensive enquiries" in the last two months.
In addition to releasing footage of the shocking incident to identify the man responsible, officers have also encouraged him to come forward and make himself known.
In a statement, a spokesperson for South Wales Police said: "Police in Cardiff investigating a car theft captured on CCTV are appealing for help to identify the man responsible. The female owner of the red Ford Fiesta bravely tried to intervene by opening the passenger door but the suspect reversed and sped off from the street in Canton.
"The woman was hit in the face by the car door and knocked to the ground. She was badly bruised and needed stitches for a number of facial injuries. Extensive enquiries have been carried out since the incident on July 12 to identify the suspect but his identity is still not known. The car has been recovered and examined."
