A dad believes his car window was shot out after the glass shattered as he entered a Wembley car park, destroying his trip to Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final.
Chris Freeman said the rear window randomly shattered after he heard two 'bangs' and something ricocheted inside his vehicle.
Police said they do not believe the car was shot - but have offered no explanation for the dramatic events.
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Dad Chris was accepting his parking ticket at 6.39pm last Saturday when the incident unfolded.
The Liverpool FC supporter had just arrived at Wembley with his son ahead of the Reds’ tie with Chelsea the following day.
The 45-year-old told the ECHO: “I was just taking the ticket out of the machine as we drove in and there was one hell of a bang, like a shotgun going off, and I thought ‘what the hell is that?’.
“I drove forward and heard another bang and as we carried on forward the glass in the rear of the vehicle just shattered.”
Chris said a hole appeared in the back window after the first bang and that, when he spoke to police, the potential for it being caused by a ceramic pellet fired at the vehicle was discussed. Some pellets break up on impact, leaving no obvious trace.
He said: “I could see the first one - it just put a hole straight in the glass and it ricocheted all around the car.”
In that moment, Chris said he feared for the safety of his teenage son as he was unable to see where any threat was coming from.
He praised the officers who attended the scene for their support but said, ultimately, the damage left no option other than to return to their Worcestershire home.
The agricultural engineer said: “There was nowhere that we could leave the car where it was secure, so we could not use the Premier Inn stay we had paid for because we could not leave the car in the state it was. We were worried it would get trashed.”
The pair travelled home in the damaged Peugeot 208 that Saturday night and missed Liverpool’s penalty shoot out victory.
Reflecting on the incident Chris, who can think of no explanation beyond his car being targeted by a thug or reckless prankster, said: “I feel quite angry in one way because of what we lost, but relieved in another way.”
He said, despite the memories they missed out on creating, he was grateful neither he nor his son were injured.
The Metropolitan Police told the ECHO it had investigated the incident and did not believe shots were fired at the car - but offered no other explanation for the damage.
A spokesman for the force said: “Police were called at around 6.45pm on Saturday, February 26 to reports of a car that had suffered damage to its rear window as it entered a car park on Wembley Park Boulevard, Wembley.
“The caller initially stated he thought the damage had occurred after a firearm had been discharged.
“Officers attended the scene and carried out an examination of the area; CCTV of the incident was also reviewed.
“However, while there is no conclusive evidence as to how the damage occurred, there is no evidence that a firearm was discharged.
“At this time, the investigation remains closed but if any further information comes to light, this will be looked at.
“The victim has been contacted and informed of the outcome.”
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