The driver seen waving a gun on the M5 before being shot dead has today been unmasked as a criminal in footage of a botched robbery last year.
Spencer Ashworth, 29, died in a red Suzuki Swift when four firearms officers cornered his car just off the A369 Portbury Hundred near Portishead and opened fire last Wednesday.
Today CCTV footage from 2016 emerged shows Ashworth threatening a locksmith in Bristol and demanding he ’empty the till’.
The clip shows him browsing the shop before reaching over the counter and grabbing shop owner Pete Taylor, 60, by the collar with both hands.
Spencer Ashworth, 29, was filmed trying to rob a shop ten months before he was shot dead on the M5
Police yesterday revealed that Spencer Ashworth was the man they shot dead on the M5 a week ago
Ashworth claimed he wanted a refund on a keyring before demanding the shopkeeper ’empty the till’
The shopkeeper Pete Taylor, 60, goit away and called the police, sending Ashworth scampering out of the store
The businessman escapes his hold before Ashworth points at the till – apparently asking for cash – before disappearing when Mr Taylor rings the police.
He was later arrested and pleaded guilty to using threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intent to cause fear of or provoke unlawful violence in at Avon Lock & Key in Bristol.
Recalling the incident in December last year, Mr Taylor said: ‘He came into my shop and attempted to rob me.
‘He had bought a keyring the day before. He came in and chucked it on the counter and said ‘I want a refund’.
‘I said no so he grabbed hold of me by the jacket and said ‘open your till’.. I pulled away and called the police and he just calmly walked away. It was very weird.
‘It was weird the way he had come in and was looking around – on both days.
I thought to myself ‘oh yes, we have a shoplifter here’.’
Ashworth, of Portishead, pleaded guilty at Bristol Magistrates court and was ordered to pay £80 fine, £85 costs, and compensation of £50.
Mr Ashworth was shot dead on Wednesday after two unmarked police cars and a patrol car chased him off the M5.
The shooting occurred after two police forces received reports of a man waving a gun during rush-hour traffic.
A post-mortem examination established that Mr Ashworth died of gunshot wounds, although it has not yet been revealed how many times he was shot.
His last known address was in Portishead, and a formal identification by his family will take place today.
This was the scene in Somerset last week after police shot Spencer Ashworth on the A369 where a gun was left on the roof
The IPCC said it is examining body camera footage of the incident recorded by officers and three forces are under investigation
Four marksmen shot a heil of bullets at the car, and images from the scene showed a handgun placed on the roof of the red hatchback.
Forensic examinations and ballistic tests are being carried out on ‘what appears to be a non-police issue firearm’.
It has not yet been revealed exactly how many bullets were fired, but the IPCC said it was ‘a number’ and Mr Ashworth was shot multiple times.
Police marksmen have already given their initial accounts of what happened, and were interviewed at the scene, and IPCC investigators are examining body worn video footage.
The watchdog will not review the actions of West Mercia Police or Gloucestershire Police.
Motorists who were on the M5 at the time were urged to hand over dashcam footage to investigators, who are treating the officers as witnesses.
They are being kept under review by Avon and Somerset Constabulary.
Ashworth had first been seen with a gun 54 miles away from the spot where he was killed
Mr Ashworth was also due to appear in court this month for speeding offences, which could have seen him disqualified from driving.
He was due to attend North Somerset Magistrates’ Court on October 26 2017, after being caught doing 46mph in a 40mph zone in a Suzuki Swift, similar to the one he was shot in.
A spokesman for the IPCC said: ‘We received referrals from West Mercia Police and Gloucestershire Police in relation to how they dealt with information received from a member of the public prior to the incident near Portishead.
‘The member of the public made the report to West Mercia Police. This information was then passed to Gloucestershire Police.
‘After careful assessment the IPCC will not investigate the actions of either force.
‘Their involvement may be considered at a later stage should further information come to light justifying an investigation.
‘The IPCC investigation will consider the information provided by these forces to inform the sequence of events that occurred last Wednesday.
‘Initial information indicates officers were responding to a report of a man travelling on the M5 with a handgun and that he had threatened another motorist.
‘The IPCC has also been informed of an earlier incident where a similar report was received by West Mercia Police.’
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