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Updated May 7, 2026
Nottinghamshire Police are investigating a serious attack in the English town of Retford, where three men were targeted with baseball bats on Northfield Way and one was hit by a car. Officers said two men got out of a black BMW 1 Series and began the assault at approximately 2:45 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 2, 2020. The BMW was also driven at the group, striking one of the victims before the attackers fled the area.
Retford is a town in Nottinghamshire, in the East Midlands of England, roughly 140 miles north of London. The street where the attack happened is a residential location, and police have not said whether the incident was random or targeted.
The man who was struck by the car was a 19-year-old. He was taken to a hospital because of a head injury, according to police. The other two victims were also young men, aged 19 and 20, though the force did not say whether they were injured during the attack or only caught up in the confrontation. The police statement also did not update the condition of the hospitalized victim, and no hospital has released a public update.
The vehicle was found less than an hour and a half later. At approximately 3:50 p.m., officers located the black BMW in Ranskill Road, Mattersey, a village near Retford. The car had been burned out. Investigators have not said whether the fire was deliberately set to destroy forensic evidence. A burned-out vehicle can make forensic work more difficult because extreme heat can damage fingerprints, DNA, or electronic data, although recovery is sometimes still possible.
Three people have been arrested in connection with the attack. A 17-year-old, a 19-year-old, and a 32-year-old were taken into custody on suspicion of causing grievous bodily harm, commonly abbreviated as GBH in British police and court materials. Nottinghamshire Police confirmed that all three suspects remained in custody as of the latest update. Their names have not been made public, and formal charges have not been announced.
The investigation is being led by Detective Sergeant Jackie Price. In a public statement, Price thanked people who have already provided information and asked others to come forward. “I would like to thank those who have already reported information about this distressing incident,” she said.
Her appeal focused heavily on video evidence. Police want mobile phone, dashcam, and home security footage from around Northfield Way at the time of the attack, along with any footage showing the BMW being abandoned or set on fire. “If anyone witnessed this incident and hasn’t yet spoken with us, or has captured footage of the incident or the vehicle later being left, please report this to us,” Price added.
For U.S. readers, the term GBH can be understood as the British equivalent of a felony assault that causes serious physical harm. The Crown Prosecution Service, which handles criminal cases in England and Wales, distinguishes between GBH with intent and GBH without intent. The first type carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. The second carries a maximum sentence of five years. Because police have only described the arrests as being on suspicion of GBH, the specific charge, if one is filed, has not yet been decided.
One unusual detail in the Retford case is the use of a baseball bat. Baseball bats are common sporting equipment in the United States, but in England and Wales they are not commonly kept for sport. If someone carries a bat in public with the intention of using it as a weapon, it can be treated as an offensive weapon under British law. That legal distinction can influence how prosecutors approach the case and how courts view the severity of the crime.
The use of the BMW as an alleged weapon adds another layer. British prosecutors have handled cases in which vehicles were deliberately driven at people, sometimes resulting in charges such as attempted murder, wounding, or dangerous driving. No such additional charges have been announced in this Retford investigation.
Anyone with information is asked to call Nottinghamshire Police on 101, the U.K.’s non-emergency number, and quote incident number 434 of Oct. 2. People who prefer not to give their name can contact Crimestoppers, an independent charity that allows anonymous reporting. Crimestoppers also offers a secure online reporting route, and the charity does not share tipsters’ identities with police.
Police have not disclosed a motive in the attack, and they have not said whether the suspects and the victims knew each other. The inquiry is still active, and Nottinghamshire Police may release further details once interviews and forensic examination have progressed. At this stage, the main priority for investigators is gathering more witness accounts and video from the public.
