Police are on the hunt for three men after a 60-year-old man was attacked in Arbroath.
He was assaulted by two men on Seaton Road just before midnight on February 6 while travelling home.
A short while later, the pair returned with a third man and attacked the victim again for a second time.
They attempted to rob him after each assault.
Officers say the man did not require hospital treatment but that it is “imperative” they trace those responsible.
Residents shocked by assault
The three males have been described as being between the ages of 18 and 23, between 5ft 9 and 5ft 10 in height and wearing dark jumpers with the hoods up.
Police say the third man, who joined the second attack, had a “noticeably larger build” than the other two.
All three are said to have spoken with a local accent.
Another resident of more than three decades said: “I saw a police car on the street last night, but I just ignored it.
“I’m totally shocked. We’ve never had something like that.
“This road is really quiet.
“I’ve been here 35 years now and there’s never really any fighting or anything like that.”
Sally Bremner, who has lived on Seaton Road for 13 years, said: “It’s not something I would have expected, definitely not.
“It’s usually quite a safe area. I’ve not heard of anything like this in my time here.
“If it happens again it’ll maybe be a bit of a concern.
“It’s unbelievable.”
Sighting of red car could assist inquiries
DC Greg Dempster said: “This is completely unacceptable, a man on his way home has been attacked for no reason.
“It’s imperative we trace the men responsible.”
He asked anyone who was in the Seaton Road area of the town to “think back and consider if they noticed anything suspicious”.
The public have also been asked to contact officers if they saw a red hatchback car in the area.
He added: “In particular, if anyone has a dash cam device, please check your footage as it could hold images which would assist in identifying those responsible.”
Anyone with information is being asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 4185 of February 6 or to call Crimestoppers anonymously.
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