A staff member was punched and items stolen in a racially aggravated assault.
Merseyside Police has shared a CCTV image of a man who they believe can assist in their enquiries after the incident in Rock Ferry. At around 9.15pm on Sunday, June 11, a male staff member was racially abused by three men inside a store on King Street.
One of the men then punched the victim and a number of e-cigarettes were taken from the shop. Around five minutes later, one of the men returned and took more e-cigarettes before they all left on foot down an alleyway opposite the shop, police confirmed.
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It was reported to police that there was a disturbance at a nearby pub and officers attended and were able to arrest a 35-year-old man from Chester on suspicion of robbery and racially aggravated public order.
Since the incident, officers have carried out CCTV and witness enquiries in the area and a CCTV image of a man has now been released. Officers believe he could assist with their investigation.
Detective Inspector Dave Sung said: "It is completely and utterly unacceptable for anyone to be subject to verbal and physical racial abuse and we simply will not tolerate people being targeted in this way. We think the man pictured may hold vital information so I would encourage him, or anyone who recognises him, to come forward as soon as possible.
"If you were in the shop at the time of the assault and may have witnessed the incident or have any information, we would like to hear from you. If you live in the area and have CCTV cameras, please review it to see if you captured anything around the time of the incident.
"Whether you let us know directly or anonymously, through Crimestoppers, please get in touch and we can take action."
Anyone with information about this hate crime or other incidents in this area is asked to DM @MerPolCC or @CrimestoppersUK anonymously on 0800 555 111 quoting reference 23000506197.
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