Six men wearing masks left a man with serious injuries to his hands and face following disorder off New Hall Lane.
Preston Police say they were called to reports of disorder in Derby Square.
A group of men were seen vandalising a silver Audi car around 4am on Friday (23 November) before making off in the vehicle.
Around 4.40am police received a report of a 24-year-old man arriving at Royal Preston Hospital with serious injuries to his hands and face.
Detectives believe the man had been driving the Audi in New Hall Lane when he was jumped by the masked gang.
They assaulted the man before attacking the car.
Detective Inspector Nick Hills, of Preston CID, said: “An investigation is underway after a shocking and violent assault in Preston today.
“A man has been left with some severe injuries to his hands and face and we want to establish exactly what happened.
“While this assault took place in the early hours, it would have been a noisy and loud disturbance. We believe a number of people will have seen what happened.
“If you can assist in our investigation, please come forward.”
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Anyone with information can contact police on 101 quoting log reference 0143 of November 23.
Alternatively, you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at crimestoppers-uk.org.
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