Masked gunmen attempted to force a man into their car before hitting him around the head in a broad daylight attack.

Newham Recorder: The victim was taken to hospital after the attackThe victim was taken to hospital after the attack (Image: Submitted)

The victim, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, claimed that one of his attackers told him ‘get in the car or I’ll shoot you’ during the attempted kidnapping at around 8.30pm on July 7.

He was walking to his car, which was parked in Streatfeild Avenue, when a gunman hit him around the head and two accomplices tried to force him into a black Mercedes E-class, where a fourth man was sitting in the driving seat.

“The thought that was going through my mind was that I was about to die,” he said.

The 42-year-old was able to fight back against his attackers, who he said appeared to be in their 20s, and that “at least one” was black and another was Asian.

He dropped his bag, which contained his laptop and phone, and was able to get away.

Despite his glasses being covered in blood, he staggered towards Barking Road, where he said there were “50 men watching” but only “two ladies that came to my rescue.”

“I remember being held by this tall black lady in a dress,” he said.

“She asked me my first name, and she was calling me four or five times.

“I could hear her but I couldn’t respond.”

He recalled waking up in an ambulance on his way to the Royal London Hospital, where he was treated for a head laceration and discharged the next day.

“Maybe it was a random attack and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time,” he said.

“But it didn’t seem like it. They seemed organised.”

Since the attack, the victim hasn’t felt able to return to his home in Newham and is instead staying with his sister.

“I’m not driving my car, which was quite new, either,” he said.

A Met Police spokesman confirmed that they were called to the scene and said: “Officers have spoken with the victim and are continuing to keep him updated on the ongoing investigation.”

No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.

Anyone with information should contact the CID via 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.