Men disguised in hazmat suits chase down wrong victim in attempted machete attack

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Two men dressed in hazmat suits chased an innocent man down the street with machetes in a case of mistaken identity.

CCTV footage released by North Yorkshire Police on Wednesday (26 November) shows Ben Collins and Samuel Nicholson, both 25, chasing the victim down a quiet residential street in Eastfield, near Scarborough.

The individual was able to outrun the pair and escape serious injury from what police called an “audacious attempt to cause significant harm”.

However, it emerged during the police investigation that the individual was not their intended taget.

Collins, of All Saints Road, Scarborough, and Nicholson, of Trafalgar Road, Scarborough, both pleaded guilty to possessing an offensive weapon, affray and attempted kidnap. Each was jailed for 28 months.