An Ayrshire mum says she is too scared to let her kids out after her teen daughter was chased by a masked group armed with a ‘knife’.
Emma Hughes claims her 15-year-old daughter and her pals were chased by a group who leapt out a red car before charging at the youngsters.
The shocking incident is said to have occurred on Wednesday night in the Wood Road Park area of Cumnock.
The group of shocked teens are said to have fled from the masked bandits across a footbridge onto a residential street, Warrick Drive.
Emma, 43, claims her daughter and pals were first intimidated by the group who ‘raced at speed’ towards them in a red car.
The mum of five children and four step-children was called shortly after 7pm from her terrified daughter.
Police are now probing the incident which they are calling a ‘disturbance’.
Officers have vowed to put on extra patrols in the area.
Emma told Ayrshire Live: “My daughter said they were up at Wood Road Park, they usually just go out to the woods there.
“As they were coming away from the park, there was this car, it was just sitting there at first.
“She said as they got closer to the car it started doing doughnuts at quite a speed and started racing towards them and tried to knock them down.
“It keep speeding by them and just (narrowly missed them).
“Something then hit the car, we think one of the group has thrown a stone at it.
“A group of three of them have leapt out the car, they’ve had hoods up and masks covering their faces.
“They shouted ‘hit the car again!’ and they chased them over the footbridge.
“One of my daughter’s pals then shouted ‘they’ve got a knife’. One of the group think they saw a kitchen knife.”
Emma says she was sitting at home when she was called by her daughter who was left “shaken and frightened” after the incident.
She said: “I was absolutely raging. I told her to get home right away.
“It is bad enough trying to knock wee girls down with your car, but to come out of your car with a knife and cover your face up.
“It makes you wonder what is going on in the world, I’m petrified to let any of my kids out now.
“The police need to get these thugs off the streets.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Officers received a report of a disturbance in the Wood Road Park area of Cumnock which is thought to have happened around 7.20pm on Wednesday, February 15.
“There were no reports of injuries and enquiries are ongoing into the circumstances.
“Officers will be carrying out extra patrols of the area. Anyone with concerns or who wishes to report a crime should call 101, or in the case of an emergency, 999.”
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