A POLICE officer was dragged along by a moving car as she tried to stop a carjacking in Prestwich.

She had reached in through an open car door to remove the keys, but the driver reversed the vehicle, dragging her along and knocking her to the ground.

Late last night police had been called to a house party in Kersal Road, Prestwich where two men were reported to have threatened people at knifepoint.

The pair left the house and assaulted a takeaway driver nearby, before driving off in his Nissan Micra.

Police saw the stolen Micra and joined by members of the public, tried to stop the occupants from leaving the car.

The policewoman suffered injuries to her hands and feet when she tried to grab the keys.

The car then fled from the scene and was later found abandoned in Cheetham Hill.

Specialist support from the K-9 unit was brought in and a police dog tracked one of the offenders to George Street where he was detained.

The 31-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of robbery and assault, and remains in custody for questioning

Police are still looking for the other offender, described as an Asian man in his late 20s, of a medium build, around 5ft 6ins tall with straight hair on the top, short at the side with stubble.

He spoke with a Mancunian accent and was wearing a coloured top with dark jeans.

The wounded officer was taken to hospital but has since been released.

Detective inspector John Stainton of GMP’s Bury borough, said: “This officer did not hesitate to do everything in her power to stop the offender, but instead, the driver chose to reverse the stolen car causing her harm.

“We have a man in custody but our enquiries to find out what exactly happened remain ongoing – the offenders threatened and hurt innocent members of the public, and caused real distress to people who live in this area.

“If you recognise the description of the man, or have any detail from last night or the early hours of this morning that could help with our investigation, please contact police.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 0161 856 8181 quoting incident number 2636 of 16/05/18. Reports can also be made anonymously through the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

A resident said: "It was a terrible night. It was really very upsetting. 

"I had my window open upstairs but didn't hear a party, though I did hear two door slams, and I looked outside my window and the road was full of police and a fire engine and an ambulance.

"I was very scared because I have two kids at home and I was also worried that something might have happened to my car.

"I was very surprised with what happened here. I thought I lived in a quiet area of Manchester.

"Most of the time our street is quiet and I have never had to worry about anything bad."