A man was thrown into the back of a car in what police think may have been an abduction.
The victim was grabbed by the neck and bundled into the vehicle in front of pedestrians and passing motorists.
He was in St James's Street, Brighton, at 6.30pm yesterday when he was approached by a man, who was white with a closely shaved head.
They drove off in a dark-coloured vehicle.
A Sussex Police spokesman said: "We do not know yet exactly what happened or what it was about and we urgently need to speak to witnesses."
The victim was seen earlier talking with a friend wearing a bright yellow jacket.
Detectives want to talk to the man and anyone who saw anything suspicious in the St James's Street-Upper Rock Gardens area.
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