A man left lying in the street after a brutal town centre attack has died after his stricken body was hit by a car moments later.
Detectives are hunting for three men who fled the scene of the attack in Rochdale town centre moments before the unconscious victim was killed by a car.
Police are now searching for three men after the victim, aged in his 30s, was knocked unconscious during a row in the early hours of this morning in Rochdale.
The driver of the car which hit him stopped at the scene and no arrests have been made.
According to Mirror,The men were last seen walking in the direction of Rochdale Memorial Gardens, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Emergency crews descended on a car park near the city’s branch of Yates at 3.10am after the attack.
Forensics crews are today combing the scene and have erected a tent at the spot where the body was found as efforts continue to identify the victim and track down his next of kin.
A police spokesman said: “Detectives have, so far, established that the victim was assaulted following a conversation with three men. He was left lying in the road. The men left the scene, walking towards Rochdale Memorial Gardens.
“A short time later, the victim was hit by a passing vehicle. The driver of the vehicle stopped at the scene.”
Det Insp Dan Clegg, of GMP’s Major Incident Team, added: “This was a devastating incident during which a man was killed.
“A post-mortem is yet to take place to establish the cause of death.
“We are in the process of identifying his next of kin so we can inform them. Specialist officers will then provide them with support.
“Our investigation is in the early stages but we are currently searching for three men
“We know incidents like this cause concern but, as ever, extensive inquiries are ongoing. Extra officers have been deployed to the area and anyone with concerns can speak with them.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 0161 856 3400 quoting 563 of 20/09/20 of the independent charity – Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
