A MAN was cut on the hand after a knife-wielding robber attempted to steal his jewellery in a city centre clothes store yesterday.
Police cordoned off the front of USC, on the corner of Lower Parliament Street and Clumber Street, following the incident, which took place at about 2pm.
Two offenders, both described as mixed race, fled the scene towards Glasshouse Street.
One was said to have been wearing a black tracksuit with white sleeves and a Trilby hat, while the other was described as wearing a dark-coloured hoodie.
The victim was taken to the Queen's Medical Centre for treatment, along with another man who had suffered a scratch during the scuffle.
USC was closed for most of the afternoon.
A security guard from a nearby shop, who didn't want to be named, was called over the emergency radio.
He said: "Someone was shouting, saying 'USC has a problem'. I followed the call from the radio asking for help because someone had a knife."
The security guard said he feared that the injury was a lot worse when he arrived at the scene.
"Blood just kept coming out of his jacket. The way he was holding his hand made it look like he had been stabbed in the stomach."
Philippa Sharpe, 23, a supervisor at Miss Selfridge, which is opposite USC, said: "We heard a radio shout-out saying someone had a knife, but we were too busy to see what was going on."
Miss Sharpe added that the severity of the incident had surprised her, but city centre violence is not uncommon.
She said: "We see a fight every day. It might not be that bad all the time, but it's a by-product of being in the city centre."
USC reopened for an hour from 5pm to 6pm and staff confirmed the store would be open as usual today.
Notts Police are asking anyone with any information about the incident to call 101, quoting incident 473 of June 13 2013, or call Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
