A TEENAGER fought off a gun-wielding masked attacker during a “Grand Theft Auto-style” attempted carjacking.

Nineteen-year-old Will Medd tackled the armed man who threatened to kill him and his two friends as they got into their car on the morning of June 10.

The teen, from Newton-on-Ouse, near York, was staying at a friend’s university halls on Heald Grove in Rusholme, Manchester, for the Parklife festival. He said the suspect knocked on the window of his new black BMW as they were about to drive to the final day of the event.

Will said: “A lad came up to the car in a full grey tracksuit with a grey balaclava. He knocked on the window with the gun, he said he would kill us. I was terrified.

“We all ended up getting out of the car – we had all our stuff inside. We were trying to take as long as possible so hopefully someone would see us.

“He said ‘if I shoot one of you I have got to shoot you all.’”

The suspect took Will’s keys and when he briefly turned his back to the friends, Will made a split-second decision to tackle the car-jacker.

“When I went for him we just had a scuffle. I was trying so hard to keep that hand away from his gun and make sure it was not aimed at any of my friends,” he said.

“He hit me over the face with the gun. The lad broke free and turned around. For a second I thought ‘this is it,’ that I was going to get shot.”

Luckily the suspect ran off and Will’s friend had picked up the key so the group were able to escape.

Photographer Will said he had been saving up for a long time to buy the car and it was only three months old. But he admitted that looking back, he feels it was a bad idea to tackle someone who had a weapon.

He added: “We were all scared for our lives. I wasn’t sure what he was capable of.

“When I think back to it now it makes me feel weird, it was so stupid of me.

“I was thinking ‘this doesn’t happen where I’m from’. It was like Grand Theft Auto.

“It’s a brand new car and I thought ‘I’m not watching him drive off in it.’”

The incident was reported to Greater Manchester Police and a spokesman for the force said: “Police were called shortly before 9pm on June 10 following reports of a man with a firearm trying to steal a vehicle earlier that day.

“At around 8.50am that morning, it is believed that an offender approached a black BMW that was parked on Heald Grove, Rusholme and threatened the occupants of the car with what appeared to be a black handgun.

“There was an altercation and the offender fled the scene.

“The offender is described as black, around 5ft 7in tall, of slim build and was wearing a grey balaclava, a grey hooded top and grey tracksuit bottoms.”

They are appealing for anyone with information to call 0161 856 4409 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.