Police investigating a public place shooting and attempted ATM robbery in the Lake Macquarie area have released CCTV video capturing the offence as well as an image of a man they believe can assist with their inquiries.

About 4.15am on Friday 7 February 2014, a white Mitsubishi Challenger 4WD, bearing stolen number plates, entered the carpark of a shopping complex on Freemans Drive in Cooranbong.

Four people got out of the vehicle and attempted to connect a snatch-strap from the rear bumper of the 4WD to an ATM located on the exterior wall of a newsagency located within the shopping complex.

As the group were attaching the snap-strap, a witness drove into the car park, prompting the four people to abandon their attempt to steal the ATM.

The group got back into the 4WD and, as they drove off, fired a shot at the witness’s car.

The car was struck by a bullet; fortunately, the witness was not hit.

After the 4WD left the scene, police were contacted, and detectives from the Property Crime Squad and Lake Macquarie Local Area Command formed Strike Force Knead to investigate the incident

Investigators have now released CCTV capturing the incident.

Detectives have also released an image of a man they believe can assist with their inquiries. He is described as being of Caucasian appearance, having brown hair and aged in his twenties.

The CCTV image of the man was taken at a service station in Morisset about 45 minutes before the attempted ATM robbery in Cooranbong.

Detectives are asking the man depicted in the image, or anyone who recognises him to contact police via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page: https://www1.police.nsw.gov.au/. Information you provide will be treated in the strictest of confidence. We remind people they should not report crime information via our Facebook and Twitter pages.