Police are trying to identify two people after a man in his 80s had money stolen when he was distracted while using a cash machine.
Cleveland Police said the victim was in Lloyds Bank in Hartlepool at about noon on Monday when a man told him he had dropped some money.
As the elderly man turned to look, a woman snatched notes from the ATM.
There was then a scuffle in which the victim had to use his walking stick to fend off an attack.
A police spokeswoman said it was believed the two suspects had been outside the bank for a short time identifying potential targets and were caught on CCTV following elderly customers as they queued.
The suspects are in their 40s and the man spoke broken English.
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Cleveland Police
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